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A Historical District for the Downtown Business District is hereby established as an overlay zoning district within the area designated on the Zoning Map. As an overlay district, it imposes development standards that are in addition to those established in any underlying zoning district.
(Ord. 37-02, passed 7-10-02)
Signage controls defined within the Downtown Historic District are created to advance three purposes:
(A) To encourage the proper development and use of planned graphic signing systems and to regulate signs and signing systems in the Downtown Historical District.
(B) In addition to protecting from distractions and obstructions that can contribute to traffic and pedestrian accidents, it is the intent of these regulations that signs are as much subject to control as noise, odors, debris, and like characteristics of a use that, if not controlled and regulated, can become a nuisance factor to adjacent properties or the community in general.
(C) To protect the general health, safety, and welfare, and to protect and encourage a more attractive economic, business, and overall physical appearance for the community, all signs and signing systems are subject to the regulations that follow in this subchapter.
(Ord. 37-02, passed 7-10-02)
All temporary and permanent signs to be erected within the Downtown Historical District, except those specifically excluded herein, shall require a certificate of appropriateness and a sign permit before being erected.
(Ord. 37-02, passed 7-10-02) Penalty, see § 155.2617
Permit procedures in the Downtown Historic District shall include the following:
(A) All applications for both temporary, permanent, and repaired signs in the Downtown Historical District shall be submitted to the City Engineer.
(B) Written application for the permit required shall contain the following:
(1) A description of the proposed sign, including location, material from which constructed and the method of securing or fastening same, and such other information as may be required.
(2) Plans and specifications for signs or signboards shall be filed showing the dimensions, materials, and required details of construction including loading, stresses, and anchorage.
(3) The application shall be accompanied by the written consent of the owner or lessee of the premises upon which the sign or signboard is to be erected.
(4) A fee, in accordance with § 155.2311, shall be included with application materials.
(C) The City Engineer may refuse to issue a permit for the erection of any such sign or signboard, unless details of construction and manner of erection ensure the safety of such signs and signboards when erected.|
(D) The City Engineer shall review the application for completeness and determining that the application is complete. If all information required is not provided, the City Engineer shall promptly notify the applicant of the items needed. Upon completion, the City Engineer shall act within 15 days by either rejecting the application and returning it to the applicant, or approving it and forwarding to the Architectural Review and Design Commission.
(E) The Architectural Review and Design Commission shall review the application and act within 30 days by either rejecting the application and returning it to the Engineer, approving the application, or approving the application with modifications and issuing a certificate of appropriateness. The certificate shall be forwarded to the City Engineer.
(F) Upon receipt of the certificate of appropriateness, the City Engineer shall issue the applicant a sign permit.
(Ord. 37-02, passed 7-10-02) Penalty, see § 155.2617
(A) Sign area shall include the face of all the display area of the sign, not including the bracing, framing, and structural supports of the sign, unless such support members are made part of the message or face of the sign.
(B) Where a sign has two or more display faces, the area of all faces of the sign shall be included in determining the area of the sign, unless two display faces joined back-to-back are parallel to each other and not more than 12 inches apart.
(C) The area of letters, numbers, or emblems mounted on a building wall or wall extension shall be computed by enclosing such sign with the smallest single continuous perimeter around the letters, number, or emblems in determining its area.
(Ord. 37-02, passed 7-10-02)
The following signs may be erected without a permit:
(A) Signs clearly in the nature of decorations customarily associated with any national, local, or religious holiday, to be limited to 60 days in any one year, and to be displayed not more than 60 consecutive days. The signs may be of any illumination or animation, provided that safety and visibility hazards are not created.
(B) Political signs or posters concerning candidates for elective office, public issues, and similar matters to be decided by public election, to be displayed beginning no more than 45 days prior to election, and to be removed no later than seven days after such election, subject to penalty. The signs shall not exceed six square feet in area, shall not be illuminated, and shall not create a safety or visibility hazard, nor be affixed to any public utility pole or tree, or be located within a public right-of-way.
(C) Signs that indicate the sale, development, rental, or lease of a particular structure or land area, shall to be limited in size to six square feet, with one sign allowed per street front. Such signs shall not be located in a public right-of-way.
(D) Exterior signs are limited in size to 25% of the window area or ten square feet, whichever is less, and which are either not illuminated or are illuminated only from a concealed light source. Such signs may be placed only in ground level windows where no other permanent or temporary signs are placed, and be displayed for a maximum period of 30 days if they indicate or promote special sales or special occasions.
(E) Nameplates, provided that the nameplate does not exceed one and one-half square feet and is flush to the building. Sign material must be appropriate to the face of the building.
(F) A sign which advertises the sale of personal property, such as a garage, yard, porch, or moving sale sign, provided that it is limited to one sign not greater than four square feet in size and is located on the sale premises for a time period not greater than two consecutive days. Such signs shall not be located in a public right-of-way.
(G) Construction signs which display the identification of the construction project, including identification of the contractors, architects, and other construction principals, provided that such construction sign conforms to the size requirements of the zoning district in which it is located and is removed upon the completion of construction or the commencement of occupancy, whichever occurs first.
(H) The responsible party in each of the above instances shall be as follows:
(1) In all cases, the person actually placing the sign.
(2) For political signs, the candidate whose name appears on the sign.
(3) For porch, yard, or garage sale signs, the owner of the property if he or she resides therein and has an interest in the sale, otherwise the lessee or other occupant of the property who is conducting the sale.
(4) For a circus and other special event signs, the sponsoring organization shall be the responsible party.
(Ord. 37-02, passed 7-10-02)
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