(a) In general.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the regulations in Sections 51A-7.1601 through 51A-7.1607 apply to the Market Center Sign Subdistrict. If there is a conflict between this section and Sections 51A-7.1601 through 51A-7.1607, this section controls.
(2) Permit applications are reviewed using the director procedure in Section 51A-7.505.
(3) Signs may be located within the right-of-way subject to the licensing requirements of Chapter XIV of the City Charter, Article VI of Chapter 43 of the Dallas City Code, the Dallas Building Code, and all other applicable laws, codes, ordinances, rules, and regulation.
(b) Special provisions for attached signs.
(1) Except district identification, roof, supergraphic, and videoboard signs, all attached signs must be premise signs.
(2) Attached signs may cover up to 50 percent of a building’s total facade area.
(3) Attached signs may not cover doors or windows.
(c) Special provisions for detached signs.
(1) Except detached movement control signs, district identification, and kiosk signs, all detached signs must be monument premise signs.
(2) Detached signs may be located on a premise with attached signs.
(3) A detached movement control sign is not a monument sign.
(d) District identification signs.
(1) A maximum of five district identification signs are permitted.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, district identification signs may only be located over and span across the rights-of-way at the following locations:
(A) Marilla Street and Pearl Street;
(B) Taylor Street and Cesar Chavez Boulevard;
(C) Taylor Street and Harwood Street; and
(D) Cesar Chavez Boulevard and Farmers Way.
(3) Minimum clearance for a district identification sign located over and spanning across a right-of-way must be determined by the director of the department of transportation before a district identification sign permit may be issued.
(4) A district identification sign that is located over and spanning across a right-of-way may not resemble or obstruct any traffic control devices.
(5) One district identification sign may be located on top of a building at the southeast corner of Farmers Way and Pearl Street. Maximum height of the district identification sign on top of a building at the southeast corner of Farmers Way and Pearl Street is 30 feet.
(6) Maximum effective area of a district identification sign is 1,000 square feet.
(7) A district identification sign may not be located in or visually obstruct a visibility triangle as defined in the visual obstructions regulations in Section 51A-4.602(d).
(e) Kiosks.
(1) A maximum of 10 kiosks are permitted.
(2) Except city kiosks, kiosks may not be located in the rights-of-way.
(3) Kiosks must be spaced at least 50 feet from another kiosk.
(4) Kiosks may not be illuminated by a detached independent external light source.
(5) Kiosks may not exceed 10 feet in height and 100 square feet in effective area.
(f) Monument signs.
(1) A maximum of five monument signs are permitted.
(2) Maximum effective area of a monument sign is 50 square feet.
(3) Maximum height of a monument sign is 15 feet.
(4) No monument sign may be closer than 200 feet from another monument sign on the same premise.
(g) Roof signs.
(1) A maximum of two roof signs are permitted.
(2) A roof sign may not be located on the same building as another roof sign.
(3) A roof sign may not exceed 1,200 square feet in effective area.
(4) At least 15 percent of the effective area of a roof sign must identify the Farmers Market.
(5) A roof sign must comply with the Dallas Fire Code and must be approved by the fire marshal before a sign permit may be approved by the director.
(h) Supergraphic signs.
(1) In general.
(A) Two supergraphic signs are permitted in addition to the number of supergraphic signs permitted in Section 51A-7.930.
(B) Supergraphic signs may be located on the facade of any building.
(2) Visual display and coverage.
(A) Except as provided in this subparagraph, a supergraphic sign must have one large visual display with a minimum of 80 percent non-textual graphic content (no more than 20 percent text).
(i) Multiple displays giving an appearance of multiple signs are prohibited.
(ii) The effective area of text is the sum of the areas within minimum imaginary rectangles of vertical and horizontal lines, each of which fully contains a word.
(B) Supergraphic signs are intended to be creative and artful and not strictly a representation of an advertised product. It is the intent of this provision to:
(i) encourage the use of illustrative images or other non-repetitive design elements;
(ii) encourage visually interesting, vibrant, and colorful designs;
(iii) discourage use of solid colors or repetitive design elements; and
(iv) discourage an image of a single product or product logo without other graphic elements.
(C) Supergraphic signs may be internally or externally illuminated. If internally illuminated, a supergraphic sign may consist of translucent materials, but not transparent materials.
(3) Extensions.
(A) Except as otherwise provided in Subparagraph (B), a supergraphic sign may not extend beyond the edge of the face of the building to which it is attached.
(B) A supergraphic sign may wrap around the edge of a building if:
(i) both building facades to which the supergraphic sign is attached are otherwise eligible facades; and
(ii) the supergraphic sign is one continuous image.
(4) Message duration. A supergraphic sign location may not display the same message for more than four consecutive months in any 12-month period.
(5) Hardware fasteners. All hardware fasteners for a supergraphic sign must comply with the Dallas Building Code and all other ordinances, rules, and regulations of the City of Dallas.
(6) HBA signs prohibited. No supergraphic sign may be a Highway Beautification Act (HBA) sign as defined in Section 51A-7.102.
(i) Videoboard signs.
(1) In general.
(A) A maximum of two videoboard signs are permitted.
(B) Videoboard signs must have a vertical orientation with height exceeding the width at a minimum 16:9 height-to-width ratio.
(C) Videoboard signs may project a maximum of 12 feet into the right-of-way:
(i) subject to review by the traffic engineer to ensure that the sign will not pose a traffic hazard or visibility obstruction; and
(ii) provided that no videoboard sign may be project closer than two feet to a vertical plane extending through the back of a street curb.
(D) Videoboard signs must have a minimum clearance of 15 feet above the sidewalk and a maximum clearance of 35 feet above the sidewalk.
(E) Videoboard signs must have videoboard displays on both sides of the sign.
(F) Videoboard signs may have a maximum 150 square feet in effective area.
(2) Display.
(A) All videoboard signs must:
(i) contain a default mechanism that freezes the image in one position in case of a malfunction;
(ii) automatically adjust the sign brightness based on natural ambient light conditions in compliance with the following formula:
(aa) the ambient light level measured in luxes, divided by 256 and then rounded down to the nearest whole number, equals the dimming level; then,
(bb) the dimming level, multiplied by .0039 equals the brightness level; then,
(cc) the brightness level, multiplied by the maximum brightness of the specific sign measured in nits, equals the allowed sign brightness, measured in nits. For example:
32768 = ambient light in luxes
÷ 256
128 = dimming level
x 0039
. 4992 = brightness level
x 9000 = (maximum brightness of the example sign)
4492.8 = allowed brightness in nits;
(dd) be turned off between 1:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Monday through Friday and 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday; and
(ee) not display light of such intensity or brilliance to cause glare, impair the vision of an ordinary driver, or constitute a nuisance.
(B) Videoboard signs must:
(i) have a full color display able to display a minimum of 281 trillion color shades; and
(ii) be able to display a high quality image with a minimum resolution equivalent to the following table:
Videoboard Sign Resolution Chart
| |
100 s/f to 125 s/f | 16 mm |
Greater than 126 s/f | 19 mm |
(3) Light intensity. Before the issuance of a videoboard sign permit, the applicant shall provide written certification from the sign manufacturer that the light intensity:
(A) has been factory programmed to comply with the maximum brightness and dimming standards in Provision (j)(2)(A)(ii)(cc); and
(B) is protected from end-user manipulation by password-protected software, or other method satisfactory to the building official.
(4) Change of message. Except as provided in this paragraph, changes of message must comply with the following:
(A) Each message must be displayed for a minimum of eight seconds.
(B) Changes of message must be accomplished within two seconds.
(C) Changes of message must occur simultaneously on the entire sign face.
(D) No flashing, dimming, or brightening of message is permitted except to accommodate changes of message.
(5) Streaming information. If a special events permit has been issued for subdistrict activities, streaming video and audio is permitted, except that ticker tape streaming is permitted at all times when the videoboard sign is operating. Ticker tape streaming must be located within the bottom 10 percent of the effective area.
(6) Malfunction. Videoboard sign operators must respond to a malfunction or safety issue within one hour after notification.
(j) Detached movement control signs in the Market Center Sign Subdistrict.
(1) A maximum of five detached movement control signs may be erected in this subdistrict.
(2) No minimum distance is required between a detached movement control sign and any other sign in this subdistrict.
(3) Maximum effective area is 24 square feet on each sign face.
(4) Each face of a detached movement control sign may have a maximum of six panels and a minimum of three panels.
(5) Maximum height is eight feet. Maximum width is three and a half feet.
(6) No maximum letter size.
(7) Maximum number of words on a panel is five.
(8) A detached movement control sign may identify businesses and uses within this subdistrict and may include district identification.
(9) Minimum clearance for pedestrian access on the sidewalk must be determined by the director before a detached movement control sign permit may be issued. (Ord. Nos. 29233; 29557; 30802)