02-08-2024 Planning Commission Minutes

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MINUTES PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 8, 2024 3 be more consistent with current practice and State law. She stated that this item will be considered by the City Council at its February 28th meeting, which will include a public hearing. Commissioner Kulousek provided a grammatical suggestion. Commissioner Thorson referenced an existing sign and asked if that would need to be changed to meet any updated standards. The Community Development Director confirmed that sign would remain within the standards and the sign could actually speed up the message if that were desired. Chair Johnson asked if there are any concerns with a commercial business adjacent to a residential district where a dynamic display sign may be used by a business. The Community Development Director provided details on required setbacks, noting that commercial districts adjacent to residential districts do have larger setbacks. Commissioner Carlson-Clark asked if the signs can be on 24 hours. The Community Development Director confirmed that the signs can be on at all hours. She noted that there are some elements that could be tweaked in that situation to ensure that the residential property does not have disruption. Chair Johnson stated that perhaps the sign would be required to be perpendicular to the street if there is residential property across the street. Commissioner Boe-Schmidtz noted the situation in which there is already a business in existence and residential properties are constructed after that time. She noted that typically those signs are perpendicular in order for the message to be read by passing traffic. Commissioner Thorson noted that along the Rice Street corridor that is something to keep in mind as that will be a mixed-use area. Commissioner Masrud asked if there should be something included to address potential light pollution. Chair Johnson noted that if every business chose to have a dynamic sign, there could be a cumulative impact. She asked if other cities regulate distance between signs or spacing. The Community Development Director replied that the City does not have that type of regulation and reviewed the sign limitations that exist for businesses in terms of number of signs and square footage.