Dan Mooney can think of at least a dozen properties in Redmond that would be perfect for an artistic mural. The chair of the Redmond Commission for Art in Public Places sees a blank canvas on a small alleyway downtown and on the side of the old Sears building that stretches an entire city block.

Mooney believes murals give local artists an outlet and can become popular tourist attractions.

But murals have not been allowed in Redmond for at least 50 years. The city’s sign code has banned any paintings on the outside of buildings.

Last week, the rule changed. The Redmond City Council agreed to amend the code and allow murals anywhere but residential neighborhoods.

“This will open up the door for murals,” Mooney said. “I see in the next two to three years Redmond having at least 20 murals. As new buildings go up and new people are moving in, there will be more space for more murals.”

The new mural code establishes a process for businesses and artists to request approval from the city’s art commission. Murals have to follow specific themes, such as natural beauty, history, regional commerce, local agriculture or local landscape. They cannot include offensive content, such as nudity or profanity.

Mooney said the themes are broad enough to accept almost any artist interpretation.

“We had to give some sort of guidelines,” Mooney said. “Technically, the themes could be anything.”

Mooney expects to start receiving mural applications within the next month. Each mural must remain in place for at least two years, according to the new code.

And the murals will be paid for and maintained by the applicant.

One of the applicants might be Travel Oregon, the official tourism organization for the state, Mooney said. The organization oversees the Oregon Mural Trail, which promotes murals in eight cities across Oregon, including Prineville.

“It’s just another way to bring people to Redmond that wouldn’t have come otherwise,” Mooney said.

Jackie Abslag, city of Redmond programs coordinator and liaison for the art commission, said bringing murals to the city has been a goal for several years. Other cities across Oregon and the nation have seen murals draw visitors year-round, Abslag said. One of the most popular in Oregon is a series of murals depicting the Simpsons characters in Springfield, she said.

“Murals are very popular in many other areas and can help bring people to cities just for viewing them,” Abslag said.

Other benefits of murals include improving the city’s aesthetics, offering public access to original art and reducing incidents of graffiti and other crimes, Abslag said.

“Art murals can increase community identity and foster a sense of place,” she said.

Throughout the process of approving murals, Mooney and the art commission worked closely with businesses and property owners.

The owners of General Duffy’s Waterhole, a taphouse and food cart lot on Forest Avenue, were one of many businesses to express interest. The taphouse has a blank wall in its alley and asked the city last year about painting a mural.

Now the taphouse can send its request to the art commission, Mooney said.

“They have a huge white wall that faces their building,” Mooney said. “I know they are eager to paint it.”