The owner of the Lithonia Art Center can continue painting a large mural on the building’s exterior wall, city officials said — as long as he coughs up a permit fee that could exceed $300.
But Steve Paul has no plans to do that right now.
“It’s moreso the principle of it,” Paul said Monday, arguing that the mural should not count as a “sign” under the city’s sign ordinance. “I need to fight for this mural.”
The artistic mural facing Rock Chapel Road near downtown Lithonia is about halfway complete; more than 200 volunteers gathered last month to help paint the wall. When finished, the mural would say “Lithonia” in black, cursive lettering and depict silhouettes of a man and woman in front of several colorful shapes, according to the designs.
Paul, who owns and runs the arts center, got a nuisance warning from the city earlier this month that said he was operating without the proper permit, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last week.
After the article published, city administrator LaThaydra Sands said that Paul could complete the mural if he applies for a sign permit and pays the proper permitting fees.
“The city never stated he could not have the mural,” Lithonia Mayor Shameka Reynolds wrote in an email. “We have had several murals in the city of Lithonia and all completed an application and paid for their permit for a wall sign. … Hopefully the truth will be revealed.”
Credit: Christina Matacotta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Christina Matacotta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
According to Lithonia’s sign permit application, a sign as large as the arts center mural — more than 300 square feet — could cost more than $300 in permitting fees. The application notes that the cost is doubled for signs that were put up before a permit was issued.
But Paul isn’t interested in taking that route, since he said his artwork should not be considered a sign.
“Why should I pay the city for me … to paint my own property?” he said, adding that the mural does not advertise his business and is meant to promote unity.
The city’s ordinance defines “wall signs” as signs that are “attached parallel to or painted on an exterior building wall.” Signs are characterized as things that “attract attention or convey information when … placed in view of the general public.”
Paul planned to attend Monday night’s Lithonia City Council meeting to speak out about the situation, but no discussion about the mural was on the agenda. City officials did not say what could happen to the half-complete mural if he does not obtain the permit.
