Read Chapter 4.7 of the Corvallis Land Development Code. Your sleeping problems will be no more. It’s fair to admit that reading this article could help as well. We’ll do our best to keep it stupidly interesting (at least a giant neon sign across the street won’t keep you up.)
The Corvallis Planning Commission is scheduled to discuss proposed changes to the city’s sign regulations during a work session on Wednesday, September 16th. Forget about the new high-rise developments. This is all about Chapter 4.7 of the Corvallis Land Development Code.
Reading Chapter 4.7 is about signs, the main one being a sign that you have way too much time on your hands. Outside of that, it governs things like the size, height, location, and projection of signs in town.
It pretty much means that when the Joker comes to town, there will be no bat signal coming from the Corvallis Police Department. That’s a Chapter 4.7 no no.
Anyways, the proposed changes are aimed at historically significant signs on designated historic properties. Current regulations restrict things like sign area, height, and how far a sign can project from a building, and certain roof signs are also prohibited.
Under the new proposal, a property owner could now request the Historic Resources Commission for permission to restore or recreate a historically significant sign, even if it violates Chapter 4.7. It gives the Historic Resources Commission the ability to grant exceptions from current sign requirements.
It’s fair to say the most historic and memorable sign downtown was “JIM the FIX’R.” The sign hung outside a repair business at 115 NW Second Street. It survived and is now part of the Benton County Historical Society’s collection.
(Photo: Benton County Historical Society)
JIM the FIX’R… ironically… had a literary side hustle. Author Bernard Malamud taught at Oregon State College (now OSU), and according to local historical accounts, Malamud could see the JIM the FIX’R sign from a room he rented in the Julian Hotel. The sign helped inspire the title of his 1966 novel The Fixer, which went on to win the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award.
It is unfortunate that Jim is no longer in business here. If he were, we could send him over to City Hall… they got about 8.1 million things that need fixing. After that, there is a rusty pool roof to take a look at, a union contract offer that could use some fixin’, and a food truck fee Jim would probably strike down with his hammer.
(Photo: Benton County Historical Society)
If you’re still awake and like yourself some irony… The Blackledge Furniture building also had a historic sign. Huge lettering advertised “Furniture”, while another sign announced “Blackledge Furniture and Music."
Blackledge eventually moved a block north and remained in the family for decades before closing. We previously wrote about the building at 334 SW Second St.
It sits among a group of downtown properties connected to Blackledge Property Company and Nancy Wike that have sat vacant while being marketed for “sale.” They still seem to be really into historic signs to promote a property as best as possible. Even Jim couldn’t fix that one.
(Photo: The Corvallis Inquirer)
The city didn’t come up with all of this stuff by itself. City staff sought help from the International Sign Association. Who hasn’t sought help from them at least once in their lives?
James Carpentier of the association reviewed Corvallis regulations, provided guidance about industry practices, drafted proposed historic-sign language, and supplied research from other cities. Cities where Jim the Fix’r didn’t fix things.
All said and “maybe” something done, the resulting proposal would apply only to designated historic resources, and applicants would still have to prove a sign actually has a historical connection to the property.
The Planning Commission’s September 16th meeting is a work session, not a final decision. The proposal could undergo additional revisions and public hearings before eventually reaching the City Council for formal consideration.
This article was sleep written by Brian Lindensmith, a contributor to The Corvallis Inquirer. Feel free to send us your stories or articles to publish at: editor@corvallisnow.com
More on JIM the FIX’r: Benton County Museums
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