City allows big banners for special events
EVERETT - The city modified its rules earlier this month to allow big banners on buildings for special events.
The rules will benefit the Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championship coming to Comcast Arena March 16-18. A large banner will be displayed on the side of the Holiday Inn on Pacific near Interstate 5.
The gymnastics event’s promoters asked the city to modify the rules, planning director Allan Giffen said last week. The City Council approved the change at its Feb. 1 meeting.
The rules limit the big banners to community-sanctioned events funded through the city hotel and motel lodging tax.
“It’s intended to be a very limited number of events,” Giffen said.
Only the event’s venue and hotels promoting the event can hang a banner. Two such venues are Comcast Arena and Everett Veterans’ Memorial Stadium, city spokeswoman Kate Reardon said last week.
The city has not permitted any new venues to have hotel and motel lodging tax funding, Reardon said.
The banners can be as big as the promoters want. There is no size limit. The rule change is separate from the city’s sign code, Giffen said.
Only one banner can be put up on the event venue, and any hotel or motel promoting the event can put up a banner, too. The banners can be put up 60 days before the event and must be taken down within two days of the event’s conclusion.

By MICHAEL WHITNEY
Published Feb. 15, 2012