Agenda - Council - 11/13/2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

CC Regular Session Meeting Date: 11/13/2012 By: Tim Gladhill, Community Development Information 4. 6. Title: Introduce Ordinance to Amend City Code Chapter 117, Article II, Division 8 (Signs) Related to Temporary, Construction, Real Estate, and Off -Premise Signs Background: In reviewing sign permits approved over the past several years, Staff has identified several topics for discussion: • Temporary Signs • Real Estate Signs • Construction Signs The last major revision to the City's Sign Code was completed in 2008. This revision was completed in response to a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling regarding a local Minnesota city's ordinance and content -based regulation. This revision attempted to best match the feedback from said court ruling, removing all references to content -based regulation. In addition, dynamic display technology began to emerge, especially for billboard technology. Since then, the City has processed two (2) minor adjustments to the Sign Code. Staff has also been monitoring new, emerging technology and surrounding communities' sign regulations. Based on that analysis, and feedback from previous applicants, Staff is suggesting the following changes. The following recommendations are based on previous reviews and feedback received from sign applicants, and is intended to provide a more flexible set of standards that better matches the community's goals and desires. The case includes two (2) attachments related to revised text. 'Redlined Text' is a document with all language included in the amended sections. 'Ordinance' is a shortned version for publication that only includes sections that are proposed for revision. To best understand the context of each amendment, refer to 'Redlined Text'. Notification: The Public Hearing was properly published in the Anoka County Union, the City's official newspaper. Observations: The following is a summary of exising standards and proposed amendments to the City's general sign regulations. In reviewing potential amendments, the Planning Commission should focus on standards to address size, location, duration, and construction specifications. Sign regulations should not be based on the content of the sign. Please note that these sign regulations do not apply to The COR development, as that area carries its own standards due to the architectural requirements of the development. Temporary Signs The most frequent request Staff responds to is in regard to temporary signs. The temporary sign regulations are currently drafted in an effort to mainly address the portable, interchangable letter signs. Largely due to aesthetics, these types of signs are limited to six (6) weeks per calendar year per parcel (or per business on a multi -tenant parcel), with a bonus four (4) weeks afforded to those parcels with no documented sign violations within the past twelve (12) months. In a cursory review of surrounding communities, the timeline established in Ramsey is average to above average. Temporary Signs are limited to fifty (50) square feet. Staff has not proposed any changes in the draft ordinance at this time, but is seeking feedback from the Planning Commission on any desired amendments. The City could consider separate timeframes based on construction