HomeMy WebLinkAboutTemp Signs
City of Columbia
Heights
Memo
To:
Planning Commission
From:
Jeff Sargent, City Planner
Date:
Re:
Temporary Signage
PROPOSITION
Staff proposes the Planning Commission discuss amending the zoning code
regarding temporary signage to better implement the intent of the goats of the
Comprehensive Plan and the Design Guidelines adopted for the Central Avenue and
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40 Avenue corridors.
PROBLEM
The current zoning code allows for temporary signage that is not consistent with the
intent of the Comprehensive Plan or Design Guidelines for the Central Avenue and
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40 Avenue corridors. The current code allows for clutter that is aesthetically
unappealing and does not implement the policies. A survey of the Central Avenue
corridor revealed that there are currently 112 temporary signs along the 2-mile
stretch of road, not including the temporary signage used in the City of Hilltop.
Lack of effective regulation is found in the following areas:
Sign Placement
The current Sign Code allows temporary signs to be placed anywhere on the
building. The current code also allows any number of temporary signs to be placed
on the building and does not regulate the length of time such temporary sign may be
displayed. This contradicts the specific intent of the Design Guidelines, which focus
on enhancing the building’s architectural features.
Sign Color
The current Sign Code does not regulate the colors used on temporary signs.
Whereas the intent of the Design Guidelines is to incorporate permanent signage that
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complements the existing structure, it allows for temporary sign colors that would
detract from the building’s aesthetic appeal.
Number of Signs
The current Sign Code allows for any number of permanent wall signs to be used on
a building, but caps the total allowable square footage of all signs as a function of the
amount of building frontage along the public right-of-way. The current Sign Code
allows any number of temporary signs to be placed on the building at any given time
and restricts each sign to be no more than 60 square feet in size.
Freestanding Signs
The current Sign Code allows for any number of freestanding temporary signs, as
long as they do not exceed 8 square feet in size. The Sign Code does not regulate
where the signs may be located, the materials the signs should be made of, the
professionalism of the sign, or how long the sign may be erected for.
Without effective regulation to establish minimum standards to guide the use of
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temporary signage, 40 Avenue and particularly Central Avenue will continue to have
a shoddy, cluttered and unkempt appearance.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Discussion of regulations begins with identifying the community’s goals for aesthetics
and image found in the Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan identifies
the goals; the purpose of the zoning ordinance is to guide private activity toward the
achievement of those goals.
The City’s Comprehensive Plan indicates several goals for the economic and
commercial vitality of the city. Some of these goals include:
1. Establishing and maintaining a strong sense of community.
2. Strengthening the image of the community as a desirable place to live and work.
3. Enhancing the physical appearance of the community.
4. Improving the image of commercial areas as friendly and safe environments for
residents and visitors.
The implementation of these goals centers on the City’s ability to redevelop the
commercial and retail sectors and establish a friendly working and living environment
for the residents of and visitors to Columbia Heights. The Comprehensive Plan
indicates that a coalition should be formed to develop a framework to help implement
these goals.
A coalition was formed in 2002 to draft the Design Guidelines required for future
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development and redevelopment projects along 40 Avenue and Central Avenue.
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The Design Guidelines establish a set of minimum standards for developers to follow
when constructing new buildings or building additions to existing ones.
The objective in the Design Guidelines for signage is that “signs should be
architecturally compatible with the style, composition, materials, colors and details of
the building, and with other signs on nearby buildings. Signs should be an integral
part of building and site design”
The Design Guidelines regulate such things as the types of signs to be used, the
shape of signs, the placement of signs on the building, the colors and materials the
signs could incorporate, and the illumination of the signs. The Design Guidelines
incorporate these specific criteria in order to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the city.
The Design Guidelines were adopted on September 22, 2003 to insure a standard of
quality in all new construction that was compatible with the visions and expectations
of the community as a whole. The intent of the guidelines is to bring the aesthetic
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appeal of the Central Avenue and 40 Avenue corridors to a level that met the
expectations of the community.
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES
Some proposals to solve the problem are as follows:
1. Regulate the number of temporary signs allowed for each business.
This would enable to City to control the number of temporary wall signs displayed at
any given time and throughout the calendar year. A permit process would be needed
to control this. A recommendation would be to allow 5 temporary wall signs per
business per calendar year, and no more than1 temporary wall sign displayed at any
given time.
2. Regulate the amount of time that a temporary wall sign may be displayed for.
Temporary wall signs should be limited to a 30-day display period per sign. This
would ensure that the temporary wall signs were not in place on a year-round basis.
3. Limit the size of the temporary wall sign.
The current Sign Code allows a temporary wall sign to be no more than 60 square
feet in area. A recommendation would be to decrease the maximum size to 40
square feet. This would help proportion the sign in a more aesthetic manner on
buildings within the city.
4. Language should be included in to Code that temporary wall signs may not be
used for permanent wall signage.
Currently, the Sign Code does not regulate the requirement of a permanent wall sign
for a business. The intent of temporary signage is to promote an event, sale, etc.
Temporary signage should not be used for permanent means.
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5. Create provision for sandwich board sign.
A sandwich board sign is a freestanding sign. Once defined, the City could regulate
the types of building materials of the sign, the professionalism of the sign, the location
of the sign and the number of such signs to be allowed per business. This would
reduce unnecessary clutter in the City.
6. Disallow “stick-in-the-ground” signs.
This would reduce clutter and increase the aesthetic appeal of the City.
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