The attorney representing a billboard company said Wednesday that Washington County planners re-interpreted the county's zoning ordinance, resulting in the Planning Commission's rejection of four billboard site plans last month.
Great Outdoor Advertising Company appealed the Planning Commission's decisions to the Washington County Board of Zoning Appeals.
A hearing on the appeals was held Wednesday night at the County Administration Building.
The Planning Commission rejected the four billboard site plans, stating that the total size of each structure, including all sides of the signs, exceeded 1,000 square feet, the maximum size allowed under the county's zoning ordinance.
William C. Wantz, representing the billboard company, testified that the interpretation was a change from the usual interpretation, which was that each side of a billboard was not to exceed 1,000 square feet.
He called the county's most recent interpretation of the ordinance "novel."
Great Outdoor Advertising Company wants to build four billboards.
