Set-it-and-forget-it sandwich sign owners may be in a pickle come spring 2025 on Bainbridge Island.

BI city councilmembers discussed updates to the civic code related to A-frame and nylon signs at its meeting Dec. 10, and shared their progress in reading nearly 1,200 pages of public comment regarding development changes to BI.

Last summer, BI community members voiced concern that the number of temporary and portable signs advertising local businesses around Winslow was becoming an eyesore and a nuisance to tourists. Amid calls for amendments to the sign permitting system, the council added additional restrictions to city code.

City manager Blair King explained that, “The purpose of a good sign ordinance is not to hurt business, but to help business and help the community.”

He offered the analogy of a crowded market: if one business owner calls out for a patron’s attention, soon others may join in, and the attention each business receives diminishes to the detriment of the patron’s experience.

“Rather than buyers knowing what to buy, they’re confronted with sound and noise that hurts business,” King said.

Going forward, A-frame or “sandwich board” signs, will require a permit, and must be between 3- and 4-feet tall. Businesses may have up to three sandwich boards, but must pay an annual permitting fee for each: $55 for one, $200 for a second and $500 for a third. No such signs are allowed on public property, including sidewalks and bike paths, and must be cleared up to four hours after business closing time.

The law also makes a distinction between temporary commercial signs, such as those advertising an event at a local business, and temporary non-commercial signs, such as campaign signs. Neither require a permit, but each come with stipulations that they cannot be placed on city property and must be removed within seven days after the event.

Deputy mayor Ashley Mathews shared concerns that the amendments could create hurdles for business models that rely on sandwich board signs, such as Realtors. The signs are expensive, she said, and the time and placing constraints could be detrimental to advertising.

“As a Realtor, you’re an independent contractor. It behooves us and our community to have our Realtors feeling secure,” Mathews said. “Let’s say you have an open house at 123 Gig Harbor Road. How are you going to get a license for that? How long does it take to get these licenses? And you can’t put it at the right-of-way, just in front of the house—that just seems like we don’t really know what we’re talking about.”

City leaders also heard planning director Patty Charnas share updates about BI’s Comprehensive and Winslow Subarea plans. The department received 567 public comments, or almost 1,200 pages, in the form of emails, written letters, verbal transcriptions and more.

Several themes arose in high numbers from the collection, which the planning department organized into key topic areas. “The numbers” — growth targets and capacity — were of foremost concern, followed by density and building heights; geographic location of growth; water and sewer systems; infrastructure; displacement; natural resources; and aesthetics.

The comments have been indexed by topic and will be integrated into a final Environmental Impact Statement to be released in 2025.