Business owners, beware: Signs under siege

| Crime | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

A few weeks after Vera from Village Green Perennial Nursery told us someone had stolen one of her streetfront signboards (from 26th/Roxbury) by sawing it away from its tether, she e-mailed to say it’s happened again: “Another Village Green sign has been stolen! This time they cut off 2 legs.” And apparently hers wasn’t the only business whose sign was taken — Vera says someone from e-green landscaping (WSB sponsor) “found (the sign) at Home Depot on Delridge – the store employee said they found several business signs dumped in their dumpster! This is apparently a fun hobby for someone!”

muddy October 17, 2008 (9:30 am)

Unrelated but someone yanked my brand new Obama yard sign from my Arbor Heights parking strip. Undaunted I’m heading out for replacements now.

B October 17, 2008 (9:42 am)

Sounds like a few board high school kids…

sign pollution nulu October 17, 2008 (9:45 am)

Sign vigilante or Home Depot next door to SPD. Either way, those signs were not legal to place at 26th @ Roxbury.
I appreciate the unknown sign hater who goes around cutting illegally placed business signs in half.
Political signs can only be placed in the planting strip or property with the permission of the property owner.
No signs of any type are allowed in median strips, on sidewalks or islands.
If Village Green Perennial does not want their business signs stolen, they should advertise where it is legal such as WSB. Of course if they do not pay WSB for the service, WSB would remove their sign from their site. Would that also be considered stealing?

Aidan Hadley October 17, 2008 (9:53 am)

To me it sounds like someone more disturbed than simply bored high school kids.

Michael October 17, 2008 (10:41 am)

Probably someone who believes the signs are illegal or hazardous. (Whether or not they are)

(That would make this person a community activist, would it not?)

JanS October 17, 2008 (10:56 am)

no, Michael, it would make them a petty criminal…

mellaw6565 October 17, 2008 (11:01 am)

I wonder if there were any indications that the signs had been reused before dumped – like covered up for garage sales, etc……?

d October 17, 2008 (11:03 am)

Ha! Board students! Kind of funny.

But, wait…am I understanding right? Someone found other, DIFFERENT nursery/landscaping businesses’ signs in the dumpster? Sounds like maybe a rather desperate competitor, to me.

My garden is approximately one-third Village Green plants, one-third West Seattle Nursery, one-third McClendons.

I do so love to spread the green around. :)

lina rose October 17, 2008 (11:29 am)

I had a signboard for a volunteer event in the West Duwamish Greenbelt a few months ago jacked from 16th and Brandon. The funny (thoughtful?) thing was that whoever took the sign left behind a large laminated picture that I had adhered to the signboard about my event… so they just wanted the signboard. It was also a pretty old signboard- not the most desirable of items.

JumboJim October 17, 2008 (11:34 am)

It is *not* illegal to have a sandwich board sign ona sidewalk in Seattle provided it is within immediate proximity to your business and you leave at least 5 feet of clear sidewalk space.
–
I don’t know the laws outside the city’s limits.

d October 17, 2008 (11:45 am)

Well, the VG sign I have seen on Roxbury is ALWAYS, ALWAYS on the southwest corner of the intersection. Technically, officially, cumbersomely, the county line runs right down the middle of Roxbury. So, county law would apply, me thinks, whatever applicable law that is…

WSB October 17, 2008 (12:08 pm)

d, I’m not sure what kind of businesses the other signs belonged to – previously, Cafe Rozella had signboards stolen, a bit further east/north. So many businesses have signboards (I was driving along California right before 9 am one morning this week and noticed Rick putting out his barber sign, then a mile or so north, Tram putting out the sign at Budget Cuts, one of our newest sponsors), seemed like fodder for a general alert – TR

d October 17, 2008 (12:24 pm)

Ah ha! I get it now. Thanks TR.

AJP October 17, 2008 (1:38 pm)

Sign boards are quite costly, actually. I bet people are stealing them for other events and businesses. That’s very sad!

HighlandParkster October 17, 2008 (3:04 pm)

It’s not just sign boards getting swiped. I can’t leave anything outside my house in Highland Park (near White Center) that isn’t locked up or chained down (even inside my locked fence). Kids, druggies, anti-social loners will steal fencing, reflectors, signs, plants, wood, garden hoses, old pots, and seriously anything that isn’t securely screwed or locked down. My yard has been picked clean this past summer. It’s a very sad reduction in the quality-of-life that I’ve enjoyed over the past many years I’ve lived in West Seattle. This recent wave of petty crime and graffiti is making me seriously consider a move out of Seattle.

HighlandParkster October 17, 2008 (3:05 pm)

Oh, and P.S. – I love the Village Green sign at Roxbury by Safeway. It’s a pretty splash of color on that dreary corner. I hope it’s back soon.

Alcina October 17, 2008 (3:52 pm)

It is illegal to place sandwich boards or any other signs in the County right of way such as the sidewalk at 26th and Roxbury where Village Green keeps placing their signs. See top of page 3 of this King Co. document. http://tinyurl.com/6occla

King County Roads Maintenance frequently picks up signs from arterials like Roxbury. If Village Green’s sign wasn’t among those found at Home Depot, Vera may want to call KC Roads Maintenance 206-296-8100 to see if they have been removing her signs.

nunya October 17, 2008 (5:40 pm)

Most of the ordinances on “A” boards require that they be picked up every night.

Alcina October 18, 2008 (7:27 am)

nunya, here is the City of Seattle page about A-Frame signs on sidewalks
http://www.seattle.gov/economicDevelopment/biz_district_guide/aframe.htm
“A-frame signs are illegal except in a City-approved district that has obtained a street use permit to allow and regulate A-frame signs (see BIA).

Current districts with City approval for A-frame signs:
Businesses of Broadway
Pioneer Square Community Association
Pike Place Market Historical District”

kennem October 18, 2008 (8:39 am)

Alcina’s post is correct, City law generally prohibits such signs (except in certain areas) as a pedestrian-unfriendly (especially for the visually/mobility impaired) and therefore prohibited use of public land for private purposes.
Despite that general regulation, the City does generally allow businesses in every district to place an a-frame sign directly in front of their business, but only during business hours and only if it does not impede sidewalk use or generate a complaint.

In the case of Village Green Nursery, I looked it up on the map – their sign was on Roxbury they tell us. Their business is 3 blocks away. Even if they took it in each night (did they?), it wouldn’t have been allowed. How far away was e-green landscaping’s sign?

I applaud whoever is helping keep our sidewalks clear and advertising-free, and I hope business owners understand that they can’t use public land for private gain.

Alcina October 19, 2008 (9:17 am)

A bloger on Daily Kos has posted a diary on how to inexpensively alarm political yard signs.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/18/222920/02/699/634936
There always seems to be some sort of a problem during every election season with yard sign theft. This, of course, would only be useful for a sign in a yard of a house when someone was home most all of the time.

In 2004, twice someone came into my yard after bedtime and before I got up and stole a sign for a specific candidate that was in the lawn right under the living room window and didn’t remove the signs for other candidates that were there. It kind of creeped me out and I would have liked to have had a way to catch the person. This alarm, if nothing else, would have likely surprised the thief.

Sorry, comment time is over.