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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes August 13, 2019 Page 3 Motion by Councilmember Randle, seconded by Councilmember Gray, to approve the Consent 1 Agenda items. 2 3 Motion carried 5-0. 4 5 IV. PUBLIC HEARING – NONE. 6 7 V. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION AND STAFF – NONE. 8 9 VI. GENERAL BUSINESS OF COUNCIL. 10 11 A. Ordinance 2018-08 an Ordinance Amending Sections 155.03, 155.21 and 155.22 of the 12 Sign Ordinance (1st of 3 readings). 13 14 City Manager Casey reviewed staff received a signage request that raised the issue of LED 15 lighting technology, and how it is regulated in the City’s sign ordinance. Staff and the Planning 16 Commission discussed the issue briefly at the Commission’s May workshop and at the City 17 Council work session on July 16, 2019. Both the Commission and Council agreed that the 18 language was in need of updating. Currently, the ordinance defines any sign using LED (Light 19 Emitting Diodes) technology as a part of a Dynamic Display sign. Mr. Casey provided the 20 working from the current Ordinance. 21 22 It was noted Dynamic Displays require a Conditional Use Permit. The purpose of the limitations 23 within the Dynamic Display section of the Sign Ordinance, and of the CUP processing, is to 24 ensure that these potentially distracting sign technologies are limited to minimize their 25 distraction. The standards that apply to Dynamic Displays are required, whether or not the sign 26 uses LED technology, or whether the sign changes copy or images (changes which are limited in 27 scope and time). 28 29 When the ordinance was adopted, LED technology was still relatively new, and its use was 30 commonly applied to displays that appeared to imitate movement or video. More recently, LED 31 lighting technology has become the dominant method of projecting more lighting, whether or not 32 it is used in simulated video. 33 34 Staff is suggesting two changes be made to the sign regulations that would allow signage that is 35 lit, but not simulating video movement, to incorporate LED lighting, subject to the same 36 illumination standards currently in the code. These changes would include a modification to the 37 definition of Dynamic Display, and a separate reference to any LED lighting technology 38 incorporating the illumination standards. 39 40 The proposed changes were provided for Council review. 41 42 One outstanding issue that needs to be discussed is some commercial enterprises have 43 incorporated LED “banding” as an architectural element or feature. One of the most common in 44 the Twin Cities is Holiday gas stations using banding on their canopies and outlining their 45 building edges. Other businesses have included this technique. Currently “Fluorescent Tubes, 46 3