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'• City of Falcon Heights <br />Planning Commission Minutes <br />June 24, 2008 <br />PRESENT: Commissioners Anderson, Hasegawa, Noble, Rodich, Salzberg, Watkins, <br />Also present were Council Liaison Laura Kuettel, City Attorney Joel Jamnik and City <br />Administrator Justin Miller. <br />ABSENT: Commissioners Lukermann, Staff Liaison Jones <br />A quorum being present, the meeting was called to order by the chair at a few <br />minutes past 7:00 p.m. The minutes of the May 27, 2008, meeting were approved. <br />PUBLIC COMMENT: CITY COUNCIL MORATORIUM ON PERMITS FOR <br />CERTAIN SIGNS <br />The chair opened the public comment period. There being no one who wished to <br />speak, the public comment period was closed. <br />COMMISSION DISCUSSION: <br />• The chair opened the commission discussion by calling for comment from <br />commissioners. Commissioner Noble, who lives close to the B-3 district said she had <br />heard from a number of her neighbors and that they are opposed to allowing any <br />dynamic display or LED signs. Commissioner Salzberg asked if it is that clear that <br />these signs are more intrusive than static illuminated signs, and Noble said that was <br />her question. She felt that if the signs were limited to one change every 24 hours they <br />would be clearer, that it is the flashing, motion, transitions that are the most <br />"nuisance". The B-3 district is our most heavily traveled area; the other districts are <br />too residential. <br />Salzberg expressed concern that a 24 hour requirement would preclude things like <br />time and temperature signs. <br />Commissioner Anderson said that she had learned that the number of accidents had <br />gone up in the area of a dynamic sign in Eagan. She had also discovered that a sign at <br />the Dallas airport giving gate information had been taken down because of a higher <br />accident rate there also. So despite the information provided to the commission by <br />the sign vendor, there are problems with traffic safety. "Scanability" has a lot to do <br />with it. In her experience of driving past signs that change only once a day she has <br />noted that it is more distracting to her than static signs. We're all used to scanning <br />time and temperature signs. She also has a concern about how "green" this <br />• technology is with respect to energy use and she feels these signs are probably not <br />appropriate in a high traffic area with a history of many accidents. <br />City of Falcon Heights -Planning Commission Meeting of June 24, 2008 -Page 1 of 4 <br />