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Flag flying issue tackled by planning commission
Heather Mays - Thu, Oct, 29, 2009
Farragut’s Municipal Planning Commission discussed allowing hotels to fly flags promoting their business — but limiting it to just hotels.
At Commission’s meeting Thursday, Oct. 15, Mayor Ralph McGill said he didn’t see the harm in allowing hotels to fly flags that were not government-affiliated, as they can in Knox County.
“I think we should give them freedom of choice,” McGill said.
Commission Chair Rita Holladay asked if this idea would allow hotels to fly non-governmental flags only at certain times of the year, and what a “non-governmental” flag entailed.
“It’s anytime they want and whatever they want. Why do we care?” McGill said.
Holladay said if Commission allowed this, other businesses would come asking for flags, which the Town currently has strict restrictions on.
Commissioner Ron Rochelle agreed, saying, “I wonder if we’re opening up a can of worms.”
Community Development Director Ruth Hawk said Town staff supported allowing sports team flags, but not business flags.
“The staff did not support the idea of permitting flags from businesses and other private entities because it would be a significant deviation from our current ordinances,” Hawk said.
“Also, flags are by very nature, attention-getting devices for advertising and marketing purposes. But to be successful, you have to have a recognizable logo.
“The only entities that have recognizable logos are your larger businesses … that puts them at an unfair advantage over a local business, for example,” she added.
“This is about hotels and hotel flagpoles. It’s not about anything else,” McGill said.
Jack Moore, VP of sales and marketing for Holiday Inn, said a business flag or even a UT flag would help the newly-constructed hotel off Campbell Station Road.
Moore said drivers coming into Town for UT football games often pulled over upon seeing hotel flags from the Interstate.
“I had asked the Mayor if he could grant us … simply to fly The University of Tennessee orange flag, the power T, so we could gain some of that business,” Moore said.
Rochelle asked if Hawk could foresee problems with businesses using and asking for flags.
Commissioner Ron Honken said it was better to be more restrictive at first, rather than suddenly allowing any types of flags to be flown anywhere.
“If others come in, we can have additional discussion,” he said.
Honken also recommended allowing flags from any accredited learning institution, from kindergarten and up, and qualifying those as a type of governmental flag.
Commissioners also discussed what qualified as a flag: an actual flag or any type of wind-activated sign.
Rochelle, who is involved in the sign industry, said wind-activated signs such as pennants and banners are considered flags, and are very popular among businesses.
McGill said he thought the popular tear-drop banners were “hideous,” and Hawk reminded him those currently are not permitted in Town limits.
“The reason you don’t see them is because we prohibit them. We get a lot of requests,” she said.
Commissioner Cindy Holly-field asked that Hawk define a flag as something that must be flown on a flagstaff, and that flagstaffs in Farragut must be a minimum of 10 feet tall.
Currently, the Town allows buildings to have a maximum of three flagpoles and allows businesses to only fly government flags, i.e., the American Flag, the state flag, Farragut’s flag, etc.
Until FMPC makes a decision on allowing business flags at hotels, there is a moratorium on enforcing the flag ordinance at hotels in Town limits.
The item was for discussion only; no vote was taken.
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