(A) Purpose. The purpose of this section is to provide flexibility, encourage development in accordance with adopted plans and policies and promote superior sign design and a well-organized visual environment. The master sign plan process will be submitted, reviewed and approved at an administrative level through the Community Development Department. The master sign plan process was created for mixed-use, larger-scale and/or unique developments. A master sign plan may be submitted to the city for review and approval for the uses and/or developments listed below:
(1) Multiple-tenant commercial, office, employment or multi-family residential uses;
(2) A multiple-building complex for a single commercial or employment use in a project exceeding net acres;
(3) Stand-alone office/employment buildings exceeding 100,000 square feet;
(4) Indoor or outdoor entertainment and recreation uses;
(5) Hospitals;
(6) Schools;
(7) Hotels and commercial lodging having at least 125 guest rooms and a full-service restaurant or conference and meeting rooms;
(8) Regional retail shopping malls;
(9) Religious assemblies exceeding one and one-half acres of total lot area; and
(10) Other similar uses may request to be approved for the master sign plan submission. It is the discretion of the building official to accept or deny this request.
(B) Conditions. Development services staff may attach conditions, requirements or standards necessary to assure that the signs covered by the master sign plan will not be materially detrimental to persons or property in the vicinity. In making its determination, the city shall not base any condition on the message content of a sign. Outdoor advertising signs shall not be included in a master sign plan.
(C) Evaluation criteria. Master sign plans shall be evaluated based on all of the following criteria.
(1) All signs shall be placed where they are visible and legible. Factors to be considered include its location relative to traffic movement, access points, site features and other structures; orientation relative to viewing distances and viewing angles, spacing and pedestrian and traffic safety considerations. Wall signs may be approved on building walls, other than the wall of the space occupied by the tenant in commercial centers in which some tenants have little or no visibility from the street.
(2) The number of signs that may be approved within any development shall be sufficient to provide necessary facilitation of internal circulation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic and way finding for safety of the occupants of vehicles and pedestrians. Factors to be considered shall be those that impact safety and land development character considerations such as the size of the development and the number of development sub-areas.
(3) All signs shall be no larger than necessary for visibility and legibility. Factors to be considered in determining appropriate size include topography, volume and speed of traffic, viewing distances and angles, proximity to adjacent uses and placement of display. In no event shall a master sign plan contain a detached sign that exceeds the maximum height standard permitted by this subchapter.
(4) Sign design themes and materials shall be compatible with the architecture, colors, materials of the project and with the surrounding development.
(5) The city may not reduce any site development standard to less than 50% of any minimum standard, nor may any site development standard be allowed to be more than 150% of the maximum standard. For safety purposes, no sign shall be permitted to reduce the setback, or be placed within the vision clearance triangle.
(6) An applicant may request use of the calculated permitted sign budget or maximum permitted sign budget, whichever is larger for the site.
(D) Review of master sign plan. Applicant shall submit the completed master sign plan application and submit all required documentation to the Community Development Department. All applications for a master sign plan shall be considered and approved by the building official. In no event does the submittal of a master sign plan guarantee an applicant’s approval of all requests.
(E) Master sign plan approval.
(1) The city shall approve or approve with modifications and/or conditions, an application for a master sign plan subject to the requirements of this chapter and based on compliance with the purpose and evaluation criteria, outlined previously in this section. An action of the city shall be accompanied by “findings of fact,” giving the reasons for the action. The city may request additional information to assist in the review process.
(2) This section sets the parameters of the master sign plan process; anything beyond these parameters is outside the boundary for administrative review.
(3) After approval of a master sign plan, the applicant is responsible for applying for a sign permit for each sign or group of signs.
(F) Modifications/amendments to master sign plan. Minor amendments to a master sign plan may be approved administratively. Minor amendments include such changes which are determined to have little to no visual impact or improved visual impact and are consistent with the intent of the original approval.
(G) Noncompliance. The applicant shall follow the approved master sign plan. Any violation or noncompliance will result in a written notification of violation or noncompliance. The applicant shall be required to bring signage into compliance, at applicant’s expense within the time specified in the written notification.
(H) Termination. If no substantial signage development has taken place for three years following approval of the master sign plan, the master sign plan shall be considered null and void. If a premises with an approved master sign plan becomes compliant with the current standards of this chapter, the property owner may request, in writing to the Community Development Department, the termination of the master sign plan.
(Ord. 23-09, passed 8-21-2023) Penalty, see § 151.999