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CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS PLANNING REPORT
CASE NUMBER: 2011-0403
DATE: April 5, 2011
TO: Columbia Heights Planning Commission
APPLICANT: City of Columbia Heights
LOCATION: City Wide
REQUEST: Zoning Amendment for LED Signage
PREPARED BY: Jeff Sargent, City Planner
INTRODUCTION
In 2008, the City Council approved an ordinance that allowed for the use of LED signage
through the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) process. In summary, the ordinance regulates
the following:
1. Allows for Dynamic LED signage in all zoning districts with a Conditional Use
Permit. Only religious and education institutions may utilize dynamic LED
signage in residentially zoned districts.
2. Prohibits animation, scrolling, flashing, and blinking and videos on dynamic
LED signs.
3. Messages may change no more frequently than once every 10 minutes in
commercially or industrially zoned districts, and no more than once every 30
minutes in residentially zoned districts.
4. Dynamic LED signs may only be used in conjunction with a monument sign,
and may occupy no more than 50% of the signage area.
At this time, staff is proposing a text amendment to reduce the regulated frequency
between message changes from 10 minutes to 10 seconds for commercially and
industrially zoned districts and from 30 minutes to 10 minutes for all other districts. When
staff initially proposed the ordinance, the intent was to create a conservative ordinance in
order to give businesses time to adapt to the new regulations. There was no determination
as to how many businesses would utilize LED signage, or if the frequency between
City of Columbia Heights Planning Commission April 5, 2011
City of Columbia Heights, LED Signage Case # 2011-0404
allowable messages displayed would adequately serve the sign’s purpose.
Since the inception of the ordinance, only three businesses have received a CUP for LED
signs. They are: Jeff’s Bobby and Steve’s Autoworld, Sonic Restaurant, and the City’s
municipal Liquor Store located on Central Avenue. To the best of staff’s knowledge, these
businesses operate their sign within the parameters of the code. Allowing business to
change the message more frequently would enable more advertisements in a shorter
amount of time. Businesses have expressed the desire to be able to advertise more
frequently on the LED signs.
The City of Columbia Heights is routinely compared to other like-cities in the metropolitan
area to determine whether a proposal is consistent with what other cities have done. A
survey of the 12 other cities indicated their regulations on LED signage:
Anoka: “Reasonable intervals” for public service information only.
Brooklyn Center: 2 seconds between changes
Crystal: 3 seconds between changes (time and temperature only)
Hastings: 6 seconds between changes
New Brighton: 8 seconds between changes
Hopkins: LED signage not allowed
New Hope: 5 seconds between changes
Richfield: 1 minute between changes
Shoreview: LED signage not allowed
South St. Paul: 8 seconds between changes
West St. Paul: 8 seconds between changes
White Bear Lake: LED signage not allowed
Staff is also proposing some changes to monument signage to better aid businesses in the
city to gain much needed advertising.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
One of the goals of the Comprehensive Plan is to preserve and enhance the existing
viable commercial areas within the community, and to promote reinvestment in properties
by the commercial and industrial sectors. Allowing dynamic signage is a way to enhance
economic vitality by giving the commercial owners a mechanism to advertise their business
in an efficient and aesthetic manner.
ZONING ORDINANCE
The following are key zoning changes proposed for the use of monument signs and LED
signs:
1. Increase maximum height of all monument signs from 8 feet to 10 feet. Currently,
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City of Columbia Heights, LED Signage Case # 2011-0404
the Zoning Code requires that all monument signs be a maximum of 8 feet in height,
unless the sign is located in the Design Guideline Highway District and the principal
structure on the parcel is greater than or equal to 22 feet in height – in which case
the maximum height of the monument sign may be increased to 10 feet. Because
of the large right-of-way widths along Central Avenue, and because of the proximity
of some properties to the street itself, many freestanding signs are located a
considerable distance from passing motorists. Increasing the height of all
monument signs to 10 feet would help businesses gain visibility in this respect.
2. Increase maximum size of monument signs from 40 square feet to 50 square feet.
Using the same rationale to increase the height of the sign, staff feels that
increasing the overall size of the sign by 10 square feet would help gain needed
visibility for businesses. Both the height increase from 8 to 10 feet and the size
increase from 40 s.f. to 50 s.f. are a proportional increase of 25%.
3. Increase the LED portion of the monument sign from 50% to 60%. Currently, the
largest LED sign that a business would use is one measuring 20 square feet, since
the Zoning Code only allows for 50% of a 40 square foot monument sign to be used
for LED purposes. The proposed ordinance would allow for up to 60% of the
monument sign to be used as an LED sign, which means the largest LED sign could
be 30 square feet.
4. Increase the frequency for LED displays from once every 10 minutes to once every
10 seconds for commercially and industrially zoned districts. To stay in line with the
regulations from the surrounding communities, and to enable businesses in
Columbia Heights to thrive through effective advertising, staff feels that increasing
the frequency for message displays to once every 10 seconds would be beneficial.
5. Increase the frequency for LED displays from once every 30 minutes to once every
10 minutes for all other districts. It is anticipated that churches and schools may
wish to utilize LED signage to promote activities occurring on their premises. Staff
feels that allowing a message change only once every 30 minutes is a bit
restrictive; however staff understands that the residential neighborhoods in which
these establishments are located still need to be protected. By increasing the
frequency to once every 10 minutes, religious and educational institutions will still
be allowed to advertise for events more effectively while not disturbing the
surrounding area.
FINDINGS OF FACT
Section 9.104 (F) of the Columbia Heights zoning code requires that the City Council make
each of the following four findings before approving a zoning amendment:
1. The amendment is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.
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City of Columbia Heights Planning Commission April 5, 2011
City of Columbia Heights, LED Signage Case # 2011-0404
One of the goals of the Comprehensive Plan is to preserve and enhance the
existing viable commercial areas within the community, and to promote reinvestment
in properties by the commercial and industrial sectors. Allowing dynamic signage is
a way to enhance economic vitality by giving the commercial owners a mechanism
to advertise their business in an efficient and aesthetic manner.
2. The amendment is in the public interest and is not solely for the benefit of a
single property owner.
The proposed amendment would affect all business owners throughout the city
and not solely for the benefit of a single property owner.
3. Where the amendment is to change the zoning classification of a particular
property, the existing use of the property and the zoning classification of
property within the general area of the property in question are compatible with
the proposed zoning classification.
The amendment would not change the zoning classification of a particular property.
4. Where the amendment is to change the zoning classification of a particular
property, there has been a change in the character or trend of development in
the general area of the property in question, which has taken place since such
property was placed in the current zoning classification.
The amendment would not change the zoning classification of a particular property.
RECOMMENDATION
Motion:
That the Planning Commission recommends that the City Council approve the
proposed zoning amendment.
Attachments
Draft zoning ordinance
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