It is the purpose of this chapter to establish reasonable regulations which preserve the public health, safety, convenience, comfort, prosperity and general welfare of the public, while protecting each person's constitutional right to freedom of speech, as indicated by the following objectives:
(a) To prohibit signs which pose an unreasonable risk to the public safety;
(b) To limit the visual dominance of signs without unconstitutionally restricting the information conveyed;
(c) To preserve the noncommercial character of residential neighborhoods and to provide reasonable, yet appropriate conditions, for identifying businesses and services rendered in nonresidential districts;
(d) To control the design of signs so that their appearance shall be aesthetically harmonious with an overall urban design for the area;
(e) To promote traffic safety by preventing obstructions within public rights-of-way, minimizing visual distractions to motorists, ensuring that sign size and height are appropriate to their location and preventing conflicts with public safety signs and police and fire protection; and
(f) To allow for more desirable developments and economic activity in accordance with the objectives of adopted village plans.
The Village does not intend to infringe on the rights of free speech as protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, §11 of the Ohio Constitution. All regulations in this chapter are to be construed, whenever necessary to preserve the purpose and intent, in a manner consistent with the First Amendment guarantee of free speech.
(Ord. 2023-16. Passed 6-5-23.)