Dino decision: Popular yard display stays as Dunwoody reviews sign ordinance

DUNWOODY, Ga. — A popular display of inflatable dinosaurs can remain in a Dunwoody front yard, at least for now.

The homeowner was supposed to remove the dinosaurs by Sept. 20, but the city gave a 30-day extension while officials review the city’s sign ordinance.

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For the past three years, Lisa Torres and her family have decorated their yard on Dunwoody Club Drive with inflatable dinosaurs.

But last month, someone complained to the city and the family received a notice that the dinosaurs violated Dunwoody’s sign ordinance.

The sign code bans air-filled or animated signs. When Torres announced on social media that the dinosaurs would have to come down, the community rallied.

Supporters drafted a petition with about 1,800 signatures.

“And the community spoke up,” Torres told Channel 2′s Bryan Mims. “The community stood up for us. They stood up for my family, they stood up for themselves, they stood up for all of us. And the city listened.”

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Torres said in the past three years, she never had a complaint about the dinosaurs.

Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch declined to comment Wednesday, but said in a city council meeting on Sept. 11 that she was “thrilled to see this level of community engagement and wants to assure everyone that we are working on a solution.”

Jennifer Boettcher, a spokesperson for the city, sent a written statement: “Dunwoody’s sign ordinance remains under staff review,” she said. “These issues are complex, so we need time to get it right and avoid unintended consequences.”

Torres said she has spoken with the mayor herself.

“She said I just want you to know that we’re working on it, we’re going to fix it, so don’t worry about it,” she said. “That was a big consolation on my heart that gave me a lot of confidence to believe that we’re going to be good,” Torres said.

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