07/07/2008 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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July 2, 2008 The purpose of the Sign Ordinance is to establish a comprehensive and balanced system of sign control that accommodates the need for a well- maintained, safe, and attractive community, and the need for effective communications including business identification. When developing the Sign Ordinance, two of the primary issues that were considered included traffic safety and aesthetics. This project will require that the Sign Ordinance be changed in two areas: • To allow off- premises signs ♦ To allow dynamic signs up to 25 square feet Off - premise signs are defined in our ordinance as "Advertising Signs ": a sign which directs attention to a business, commodity, service or entertainment not exclusively related to the premises where such a sign is located or to which it is affixed. These signs are prohibited in all zoning districts. If we were to change the Sign Ordinance to allow off - premises signage, we would have to decide where we're going to allow them and where they would be prohibited. This would need to be described by zoning district or geographic areas of the city, and cannot be only limited to city -owned property. The City recently underwent an extensive, in -depth process to address dynamic display signs: March 12, 2007 - Council approves 1 year moratorium on flashing, changeable signs March 12, 2008 - Planning and Zoning recommends approval (Public Hearing) April 14, 2008 - Council approves 2nd reading of Sign Ordinance Amendment including the addition of permanent regulations relative to dynamic display signs. Section IV — Dynamic Sign Regulation of the recently updated Sign Ordinance is as follows: Findings. Studies show that there is a correlation between dynamic displays on signs and the distraction of highway drivers. Distraction can lead to traffic accidents. Drivers can be distracted not only by a changing message, but also by knowing that the sign has a changing message. Drivers may watch a sign waiting for the next change to occur. Drivers are also distracted by messages that do not tell the full story in one look. People have a natural desire to see the end of the story and will continue to look at the sign in order to wait for the end. Additionally, drivers are more distracted by special effects used to change the message, such as fade -ins and fade -outs. Finally, drivers are generally more distracted by messages that are too small to be clearly seen or that contain more than a simple message. Time and temperature signs appear to be an exception to these concerns because the messages are short, easily absorbed, and become inaccurate without frequent changes. In addition to safety concerns, light pollution creates negative impacts, particularly in rural areas and residential neighborhoods of the community. The City has adopted regulations of exterior lighting intended to reduce Tight pollution. Dynamic displays are by nature very bright and often are installed on highway signs, many of which are in rural and residential areas in Lino Lakes. In conclusion, the city finds that any sign containing, in whole or in part, a dynamic display, except signs solely displaying 2