FINAL ORDINANCE NO. 97-023 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City of Lake Elmo Washington County, Minnesota ORDINANCE NO.9723 An Ordinance Amending Section 535 "Signs": Adding Section 535.10 Variance Standards to the Lake Elmo Municipal Code Section 1. Amendment: Section 535.10 Variance Standards A. Variances. The Planning Commission shall hear requests for a variance to the literal provisions of this section in instances where the strict enforcement would cause an undue hardship because of circumstances unique to the individual property under consideration and to grant the variance only when it is demonstrated that: 1. There are extraordinary circumstances that apply to this property which do not generally apply to other properties in the same zone. These circumstances may include the narrowness, shallowness, shape, and topography of the parcel of land or setback from right-of-way. 2. The literal interpretation of the provisions of the sign ordinance deprives the applicant rights commonly enjoyed by other properties in the same district under the terms of the sign ordinance. 3. The special circumstances are not the result of the applicant. 4. The granting of the variances requested do not confer on the applicant a special privilege that is denied by this ordinance to owners of other lands, structures, and building in the same district. 5. The variances requested are the minimum variances, which would alleviate the hardship. 6. The variance requested would not be materially detrimental to the purposes of the sign ordinance. 7. The design of the sign or signs are as follows: a. compatible with the character of the adjacent buildings and with the character of the adjacent neighborhood. b. Have good scale and proportion in the visual relationship to buildings and adjacent areas. c. The material, size, color, lettering, location and arrangement of the sign(s) is an integral part of the site and building design. d. The colors, materials, and lighting of the sign(s) are restrained and harmonious, as interpreted by the City Planner. B. Application. An application for a variance to this section shall be processed according to Section 300 of the Lake Elmo Municipal Code, Zoning Ordinance, 300.06 Administration.