Arcadia

An ordinance requiring business signs to be printed mostly in Roman letters has been unanimously approved in concept by the City Council.

The new regulations, which still must be adopted formally, would require at least two-thirds of the space on commercial signs to be filled with Roman characters, said Bill Woolard, director of planning. The ordinance also would require Roman-lettered signs to be translated if they were in a foreign language or difficult to understand, he said.

The ordinance is intended to make businesses identifiable to police, fire and other emergency services, Woolard said, adding that the regulations were not motivated by racism.

The ordinance, which would not affect any existing signs, will be formally introduced to the council this week, he said.