(A) Intent. Signs have a strong visual impact on the character and quality of the community. As a prominent part of the scenery, they attract or repel the viewing public, affect traffic safety, and their suitability or appropriateness helps to set the tone for a neighborhood. The city relies upon its scenery and physical beauty to attract commerce, and these aesthetics will directly benefit economic vitality and property values. It is the intent of the city, through this chapter, to protect and enhance the city’s historic and residential character and its economic base through the provision of appropriate, effective and aesthetically pleasing signage. In addition, it is the intent of the city to promote the size, type and location of signs that will minimize their distracting effect on drivers and thereby protect traffic safety.
(B) Purpose. This chapter regulates the erection, placement, maintenance and display of signs through reasonable time, place and manner regulations, to protect and enhance public health, safety and welfare. More specifically, this chapter is designed to accomplish the following:
(1) Assure the effectiveness of traffic signs and other signs erected for public safety by limiting the number and extent of visible distractions and obstructions that affect motorists, bicycle riders and pedestrians.
(2) To maintain clear and uncluttered rights-of-way so as to ensure the effectiveness of traffic safety signs, and minimize distractions to motorists, prevent signs from creating a hazard or nuisance by obstructing clear vision or distracting motorists by their dominating size or appearance and maintain clear passage on public sidewalks. This includes protecting the public right-of-way for the safe and efficient passage of motorists, bicycle riders and pedestrians.
(3) Recognize free expression rights protected by the Oregon and United States Constitutions by imposing only reasonable time, place and manner regulations that are facially content-neutral and applied in a content-neutral manner.
(4) Respect protect rights of expression by regulating the placement of signs in relationship to each other so that one sign does not interfere with the ability of another sign to be seen and understood.
(5) Maintain and enhance the scenic and visually aesthetic qualities of the city by limiting the size and number of signs, reducing visual clutter and the dominance of signs through reasonable time, place and manner regulations.
(6) Allow those signs that are compatible with the character and uses allowed in the different city zoning districts in which they are located.
(7) Provide reasonable opportunities for signs through reasonable time, place and manner regulations.
(8) Address emerging trends in digital and electronic sign technologies and provide regulations that facilitate use of such technologies.
(9) Protect neighborhoods, surrounding development and the night sky from the nuisance factors associated with glare, movement and animation of digital and electronic signs.
(C) This chapter is not intended to, and shall not be interpreted to restrict graphic expression on the basis of its content, viewpoint, or message. Any classification of signs in this chapter that purports to regulate graphic expression by the type of sign, identity of the sign user, or otherwise, shall be interpreted to allow commercial or non-commercial speech on the sign. This chapter shall not be construed to favor commercial speech over non-commercial speech. To the extent that any provision of this chapter is ambiguous, it shall not be interpreted to regulate speech based on the content of the message.
(Ord. 2018-04-01, passed 5-8-2018)