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Community Development Director Trudgeon explained the City received an application from <br />Leroy Simons, Inc. requesting a conditional use pen'nit to exceed sign size restrictions for the NAU <br />Country Insurance Co. single occupant building located at 7333 Sunwood Drive. State statute <br />requires notification of the public hearing to property owners within 350 feet of the subject <br />property. Staff notified property owners within 350 feet of the subject property. <br /> <br />Community Development Director Trudgeon explained the Town Center district sign <br />regulations, excluding the TC-2 subdistrict, are much more restrictive for the general Business <br />and Employment districts. These regulations were developed with the intention of applying <br />them to the core areas of the Town Center where there will be many multi-tenant buildings, with <br />each individual tenant having very limited frontage. The NAU county Insurance Co. building <br />has dimensions of 179 feet by 183 feet, has frontage along three public roads, and is a single- <br />occupant building. It is located in the TC-3 zoning district; which restricts wall-mounted signs, to <br />a maximum of five percent of the ground floor building fagade area or 24 square feet, whichever <br />is less. Furthermore, lettering, numbers, or graphics are restricted to a maximum height of 12 <br />inches. However, businesses with frontage on more than one public road are allowed the <br />permitted sign criteria for each street frontage. He explained Leroy Signs Inc. is proposing to <br />install two walt-mounted signs, one on the front fagade of the building and one on the rear fagade <br />of the building. Leroy Signs Inc. is requesting an increase in square footage to 53.17 per sign, <br />with two-foot high letters, in order to have a proportionately sized sign on the front and back of <br />the building. The applicant has stated that a sign meeting the current restrictions look severely <br />disproportionate on such a large building. Neither of the signs would project from the wall more <br />than six inches. <br /> <br />Community Development Director Trudgeon advised that the City has, in the past, granted <br />conditional use permits for signs larger than allowed under City Ordinances. The Planning <br />Commission conducted a public hearing regarding Leroy Signs request on February 3, 2005 and <br />there was no public input. However, there was some discussion regarding the appropriateness of <br />the proposed sign size. Due to the fact that this is a large, single tenant building, staff believes <br />that the increased sign size is not only proportionate to the building fagade but is also approPriate <br />in ten'ns of scale. He advised the Planning Commission recommended approval of the request by <br />a 3-2 vote. Staff is also recommending approval of the request to exceed the sign size <br />restrictions. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elvig noted the minutes of the Planning Commission meeting should be <br />corrected to show Commissioner Brauer as absent. He questioned if this ordinance is workable in <br />the way it has been drafted. <br /> <br />Community Development Director Trudgeon replied in the zeal to regulate, the City may be too <br />strict in some cases. Overall in this district where there will be a number of multi-tenant <br />buildings staff wants to be careful. This case was looked at very specifically, given this is a <br />single tenant building. This is the only sign they will have and is appropriate. He noted staff has <br />found the ordinance difficult to implement in practice. <br /> <br />P38 <br /> <br />Ci~ Council/February 22, 2005 <br /> Page 8 of 31 <br /> <br /> <br />