_Editor's note: This article previews a scheduled meeting based on the published agenda packet. After the meeting is held and video is released, coverage will be updated with the actual discussion and any votes taken._ The Advisory Board on the Visual Environment will convene Monday, May 12, to take up two substantive items: a comprehensive rewrite of the village's sign regulations and a branding change at a South Riverside Avenue gas station. *Sign Code Overhaul* The bulk of the packet concerns Local Law Introductory No. 7 of 2026, a draft law that would amend both Chapter 179 (Property Maintenance) and Chapter 230 (Zoning) of the village code. The trustees referred the measure to the VEB for review and comment by way of Resolution 61-2026 on March 25. The proposed law is the product of work between the Village Manager and Village Attorney, drafted to conform to recent court decisions and guidance from the New York Conference of Mayors. It represents the most significant update to Croton's sign regulations in years. Among the key changes: • _Vacant storefronts._ The property maintenance code would no longer allow "For Lease" signs on buildings that have been vacant for more than 30 days. Owners would be required to remove all signage and cover storefront windows with frosted translucent film. • _New definitions._ The law introduces detailed definitions for a range of sign types — balloons, banners, beacons, billboards, flags, pennants, monument signs, pole signs, and portable signs — many of which are new to the code. A billboard, for instance, is now defined as a sign at least twelve feet by twenty-four feet in area. The broad definition of "sign" has been tightened to focus on commercial and non-commercial advertisements, removing prior exemptions for government-required signs and organizational flags. • _Temporary sign rules._ A new framework for temporary commercial signs would allow one unpermitted temporary commercial sign per commercial property for up to 45 days. The prior temporary-sign rules — which covered campaign signs, garage sales, construction signs, and civic events — have been replaced with this more streamlined commercial-focused approach. • _Window signage._ Permanent commercial window signs would be capped at 25% of any given window, consistent with existing rules but now explicitly combined with temporary signage in the calculation. • _Prohibitions._ The law bans searchlights, beacons, blimps, and permanent balloons. It also eliminates the prior prohibition on banners and flags, reclassifying them instead as temporary signs subject to the 45-day rule. • _VEB review timeline._ The VEB's window for reviewing sign permit applications forwarded by the Village Engineer would expand from 21 days to 60 days. • _Solar signage._ The law also amends rules for solar energy systems, allowing manufacturer names, equipment specifications, and emergency contact information on panels. The packet includes a Short Environmental Assessment Form and a Coastal Assessment Form, both indicating the law applies village-wide. The VEB is not being asked to vote on the law itself, but to provide comments and recommendations back to the Village Board. *BP Rebranding at Riverside Avenue* The VEB will also review a sign permit application from Palisades Enterprises LLC for the gas station at 336 South Riverside Avenue. The application seeks to replace all Sunoco branding with BP signage, including corner signage and canopy and fueling-area signage. The application materials were submitted as scanned documents and are not text-searchable, so the specific dimensions and design details will be presented at the meeting. The board will also conduct its regular review of village projects. Residents wishing to attend via Zoom should email Karen Stapleton at kstapleton@crotononhudson-ny.gov before 3:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting to receive the link. --- **Source documents:** - [Sign Permit Application Sunoco to BP.pdf](https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2026-05/73dfa09261db743f3a479777d0f0dd332f24f6db.pdf) - [Corner Sign Sunoco - BP.pdf](https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2026-05/442cb36a1de76c156138ee3eb5681b3474fa5cdc.pdf) - [Canopy and Fueling Area Signage Sunoco to BP.pdf](https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2026-05/8f7ae8e76b4147e27433637d6995208d4787f16d.pdf) - [Referral to VEB LL Intro 7 of 2026.docx](https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2026-05/578e08d7b6f033869eab930277673fd206265456.docx) - [MAR 25th Res 61-2026 _LL Intro 7 of 2026 Referrals_.pdf](https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2026-05/d67e8608d64cfef28aa5ccd00a9b18dd3a4c902e.pdf) - [Local Law Intro 7 of 2026 _Signage_.pdf](https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2026-05/8ab71f4e7c385e1268cb17b814000e4499ef0d37.pdf) - [Coastal Assessment Form - LL Intro 7 of 2026.pdf](https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2026-05/99f8d84e5f2fa6fe843f18e810cd534a082a731d.pdf) - [Short EAF Part 1 - LL Intro 7 of 2026.pdf](https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2026-05/748b1abf58e844ae23939f35e625236170072012.pdf)