Agenda - Planning Commission - 09/16/2010 - Special Meeting

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CASE # Public Hearing REQUEST FOR AN INTERIM USE PERMIT TO EXCEED SIGN RESTRICTIONS ON THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 7157 HIGHWAY 10 NW; CASE OF CITY OF RAMSEY HRA. By: Chris Anderson, Environmental Coordinator Background: The City received an application from the City's Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) for an Interim Use Permit (IUP) to deviate from the location requirements of permanent signs. The HRA wishes to utilize the framework of an existing ground sign on the property located at 7157 Highway 10 NW (former Holiday site), now owned by the City, to install signage supporting The COR and to help guide visitors into the development. In accordance with City Code, all variations to the sign regulations are processed with the conditional use permit application; however, with potential amendments to the sign regulations, both within The COR and in general, in thefuture, the IUP process was deemed to be acceptable. Notification: State statute requires notification of the public hearing to property owners within 350 feet of the subj ect property. Staff attempted to notify property owners within 350 feet of the subject property. Observations: The subject property was formerly occupied by a Holiday gas station, which has relocated to the south side of Highway 10, and is now vacant and owned by the City. The building and canopy structure on the property are slated to be razed sometime this year; however, the applicant would like to utilize the existing ground sign framework for signage supporting The COR and to identify one or more tenants within The COR. The subject property is zoned H-1 Highway Business District. Within this zoning district, the gross surface area of ground signs is restricted to 100 square feet for each exposed face and shall not exceed an aggregate gross surface area of 200 square feet. Ground signs are limited to one per parcel or per street frontage for parcels with multiple frontages and cannot exceed twenty-five (25) feet in height. Additionally, billboards, which are defined in City Code as "a sign which directs attention to business, commodity, service, entertainment, or attraction sold, offered or existing elsewhere than upon the same lot or parcel where such sign is displayed", are listed as a prohibited sign type in City Code Section 117-464 (Prohibited signs). The existing framework is roughly twenty-three (23) feet in height and the proposed signage is ninety-eight (98) square feet. The proposal includes adding an architectural cap to the existing framework that will add two (2) feet to the height of the sign, resulting in an overall height of twenty-five (25) feet. The proposal also indicates that some rehab work would be completed so that the framework matches The COR logo. Both the height and total area of signage would be 1