McKinney City Council denied a request to install a digital electronic sign on a new building located at 205 W. Louisiana St. during a meeting Aug. 21. If approved, the proposed sign would have been visible on the east side of the building facing Church Street. The proposed signage would have been approximately 30-by-60-inches, use LED lights and rotate between eight to nine advertisements in the span of about one minute, according to the applicant. More than a dozen citizens voiced their opposition against the sign during the public hearing saying the sign would take away from the historic feel of downtown. “History is a part of the appeal of McKinney,” McKinney resident Deborah Kilgore said during the meeting. Several McKinney residents said the historic nature and ambience of the downtown area would be jeopardized by allowing the sign and would open the door for more digital sign requests in the future. Other residents voiced their concerns about possible safety issues that would arise from drivers distractedly trying to read the sign as they drive through the downtown area. After council members voiced their opinions on the sign, the council denied the request with a 4-2 vote with council members Chuck Branch and La’Shadion Shemwell in support of the sign. Branch said he supported the sign because the sign is subtle and fits the look of the building. Shemwell said the sign was in the best interest of the businesses within the building.