Conservative is the best approach on signage

It's good to know that Carson City won't be evolving into a mini-version of Las Vegas. The city's planners passed a measure Wednesday designed to keep auto-dealership signs from being large and overwhelming, and will soon be taking up the issue of how commercial signs pointed toward the freeway should be regulated.

There, too, they should lean heavily on the side of avoiding big and flashy displays.

Carson City is a beautiful place due largely to its location at the foot of a mountain range, and few places can claim to make a better first impression on visitors.

The big, flashy signs the commissioners are trying to avoid would detract from that by creating visual clutter that tells visitors only that they're in a community that doesn't put a high value on appearances.

That clutter also detracts from the sense of Old West history that is at the heart of the city's past, present and future.

It's the same discussion that needs to be in the forefront of any proposal that would allow development on the hillsides over the city.

Many cities have done little to regulate signs, and it shows to the point that cities without that clutter stand out immediately. Carson City should seek to be among them.

It's only smart for businesses to want the biggest and brightest signs to draw the attention of potential customers, but there has to be limits. If all of the businesses are playing by the same rules, no one will be at a competitive disadvantage.

And Carson City will remain beautiful for all the right reasons.