Hockessin’s Design Review Advisory Committee is gearing up to start a long-anticipated review of signs within its Hometown Overlay District.
The group discussed the forthcoming review and practiced evaluating signs at its Nov. 17 meeting at the Hockessin Memorial Hall.
To streamline the review, DRAC members prepared a checklist covering the major points of the Hockessin Village Sign Guidelines.
The group decided against rewriting sign guidelines because that would have to be approved by New Castle County Council, explained Mary Grace Novak, a New Castle County planner. Instead, the DRAC will create an administrative process sheet explaining how they have interpreted the guidelines in the past, she said.
For example, the group would explain that monument signs are the preferred signs in the community, but are sometimes not feasible, as was the case with the WSFS Bank branch on Lancaster Pike, she said.
The group plans to continue studying sign guidelines at its next meeting on Dec. 15, preparing for the review, which is set to begin in January, said DRAC member Ken Murphy.
They will divide Lancaster Pike into segments, review all the signs in a segment and then invite the business owners to an informal meeting where they can discuss their signs with DRAC and the community, he said.
