| City Council addresses tea houses and sign ordinance |
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By: CHRISTIAN GRANTHAM, Post Contributor
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Posted: Friday, September 17, 2010 2:17 pm
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The Murfreesboro City Council met Thursday night and addressed modifications to definitions of specialty restaurants and sign ordinances.
The City's Planning Commission asked staff to investigate how tea houses can be defined and regulated. The changes would broaden property uses under "specialty restaurants" to include coffee, tea, ice cream or donut shops and set limitations.
One example would be how bed and breakfasts incorporate a "tea house." Since most bed and breakfasts are in residential type neighborhoods, additions of tea houses would be limited to a certain sizes.
The newer "specialty restaurant" definition would also require teas or coffee to be served between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and be consumed on the property. This would prevent customers from coming and going at the place of business just to purchase tea or coffee. The measure passed on first reading.
The city council also heard a first reading of new sign ordinance modifications. In October of last year, the city council voted to place a moratorium on signs until they could properly address newer definitions of signs.
Newer technologies allow a reflective material to be electrified increasing it's luminosity. The city council was told these newer signs could also play video and were not properly addressed in the sign ordinance.
The new changes will make clearer the difference between changeable and static signs and give codes wider authority to make a determination as to whether new technologies fit under existing definitions.
The city council also took up a zoning request by Centex to begin extending the Blackman Farms community. The council heard a Home Owner Association (HOA) request that the zoning be provided under the condition that a separate HOA be required.
The city council declined to get involved citing they already require HOAs and that their creation is a matter between home owners and the developer. Legal counsel advised the city that homeowners are already under a private contract the city cannot change.
The zoning request for 51 acres was approved unanimously on first reading.
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