By David Grant Long

The Cortez Planning and Zoning Commission lowered the boom on six too-tall commercial signs Tuesday despite last-minute appeals from owners contending that shorter signs would hurt their sales.

Six businesses -- four gas stations, a motel and a car wash -- whose signs are out of compliance with the height limit of an ordinance adopted by the city 10 years ago had applied for special exceptions based on other provisions of the regulations. The businesses had been notified more than two years ago of the deadline for correcting the violations, which was, in fact, Jan. 1, 1999.

"Ground and roof signs shall not have their highest point more than 25 feet above grade," states the land-use code, and the city staff recommended this requirement be strictly enforced in regard to the proposed exceptions.

All the applicants maintained that lowering their signs, some of which soar more than 50 feet skyward, would harm their volume of business, with the owner of the 1st Street Car Wash calculating it would cost him as much as $15,000 annually and devalue his enterprise by at least $40,000.

"The car wash sits considerably lower than Main Street and the visibility of the car wash is blocked from view by the existing buildings on Main Street and trees," Bob Courtney explained in his appeal. "We feel that the removal of the sign would hinder people, more particularly new people moving to the area and tourists, from finding the car wash.

"We estimate, from talking to customers, that the sign generates approximately $10,000 to $15,000 a year," he added. "We picked basically on tourists (and) they say the sign attracted them there." Although the free-standing sign is about 45 feet high, he said, it is probably only about 25 feet higher than Main, since the ground drops sharply away toward the business.

Owners of the other businesses -- the Shell truckstop on North Broadway, Chief One Stop and the Tomahawk Lodge on South Broadway and Texaco Amigo Mart and Conoco Corners on Main -- also argued that lowering their signs would make them less visible to passing traffic, either because of the shade trees along Main or their topography.

David Fraley, owner of the Shell station, explained that traffic coming from the south on Highway 160/666 wouldn’t be able to see his sign, since the truck stop is located over the crest of the hill to the north. But Fraley appealed to the commission, which has the final say on granting exceptions, to treat all the businesses the same, whatever its decision.

"If one sign has to come down, my hope is that the city will consistently enforce the ordinance so we’re all playing by the same rules," he said.

Teresa Wlodyka, owner of the Tomahawk, pointed out that hers was the oldest motel in town and that its original sign is something of a local landmark.

"It tells us a little bit about the history of Cortez," she said.

P&Z chairman Jim McBride said the motel’s towering neon beacon might qualify for designation as an historic sign, but this would require action by the city council, since the present regulations limit this designation to the downtown area only.

Clint Roper, owner of San Juan Signs in Farmington, said the signs at Conoco Corners and Chief One Stop have also "been there a very long time, making them landmarks." Roper said he would be willing to lower them to 35-40 feet in height, but that at 25 feet they would become "ineffective and an eyesore" because of their huge surface area.

Commissioner Alan Klein spoke strongly against allowing the exceptions, however, urging his fellow board members to "set a good precedent of treating everyone equally," especially since other businesses have been required to adhere to the ordinance.

"To suggest that the only way a business can succeed is to have an enormously high sign contradicts what happens in other parts of town," Klein added, pointing out new enterprises that have complied with the ordinance are doing well.

City Manager Hal Shepherd concurred, adding that he would have "a tough time dealing with other businesses in town if these signs are allowed to remain."

Ultimately the board voted 5-0 to deny the exceptions.