East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows remembers when store and restaurant signs were pretty rampant around East Lansing.

“Many years ago there was no regulation, so you could have signs of any shape or form,” he said.

Now, an East Lansing sign ordinance is being challenged by Cosi, a coffeehouse and restaurant chain set to open a store in the downtown this spring.

Cosi wants to hang a sign that would protrude off the corner of their building, 301 E. Grand River Ave. The city only allows for the signs to hang in alleys.

“They look nice at first, but you know when they start to rust and lights go out, they start to look a little tacky,” Meadows said.

The ordinance has been referred to the Downtown Development Authority for re-examination. Meadows serves as liaison to the committee for the city.

“We have a situation where no one is complaining,” he said. “At this point in time I am just kind of waiting, but I would be surprised if we (reverse the ordinance).”

If the city does change the ordinance, Meadows said it could affect how many businesses advertise.

“It isn’t just one sign on M.A.C. (Avenue),” he said. “We used to have a problem, and we don’t want to go back there.”

The ordinance was probably put into place because of aesthetic reasons, said Howard Asch, director of code enforcement and neighborhood conservation.

“Apparently, at one time they thought there was a lot of clutter,” he said. “My understanding is at one time you could look down Grand River Avenue and see a mass of projecting signs.”

But other cities don’t seem to mind having the projecting sign.

Most of their restaurants have the sign, Rammy Harwood, director of marketing for Cosi, said.

“We are trying to get the sign hung and we hope to get what is best for Cosi and East Lansing,” he said.

But Cosi isn’t the only building requesting someone examine the ordinance.

Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 333 E. Grand River Ave., has also asked to put a sign on an adjacent building, Asch said.

While there are some different issues regarding the Barnes & Noble sign, Asch said they are under the same ordinance.

The sign could represent problems if the owner of the adjoining building chooses to sell it, or if the sign is damaged or deteriorates with age, there is no guarantee that the owner will allow for someone to repair it, Asch said.

Meanwhile, Barnes & Noble want the city to know it has an image to keep.

Store manager Kelli Flynn said the current signs are serviced as soon as she notices there is a problem like a burnt-out bulb.

“As soon as I notice anything like that it gets fixed, because we have a professional standard to uphold, and being Barnes & Noble isn’t keeping with that,” she said.