A. General Requirements: Electronic signs shall require a building permit and shall only be permitted within a newly constructed monument sign located in the commercial, industrial and office districts, except as permitted in section 8-4-3-6 of this chapter, subject to the following requirements:
1. The sign meets the setback, landscaping, and size regulations in the sign code.
2. The sign does not create a hazardous traffic condition due to its placement on the site or relationship to an intersection as determined by the village engineer.
3. The sign does not include flashing, blinking, chasing, strobe features, sounds, animations or other attention seeking effects.
4. The sign shall be equipped with both a programmed dimming sequence as well as an additional overriding mechanical photocell that adjusts the brightness of the display to the ambient light at all times of day. Such programming and mechanical equipment shall be set so that the electronic sign, at night or in overcast conditions, will be no more than forty percent (40%) of the daytime brightness level.
5. Signs shall be extinguished from eleven o'clock (11:00) P.M. to six o'clock (6:00) A.M., except for businesses licensed to operate later than eleven o'clock (11:00) P.M., the end time shall coincide with their close of business.
B. Electronic Fuel Station Signs: Electronic vehicle fuel stations signs displaying fuel prices are permitted subject to the following requirements:
1. Not more than three (3) fuel products shall be displayed per sign face. Each sign face shall be limited to fuel product pricing only.
2. The total sign face shall not exceed sixty (60) square feet.
3. The electronic message area shall not exceed twelve (12) square feet in surface area, or four (4) square feet per fuel product displayed.
4. Digits shall not exceed twelve inches (12") in height and are limited to three (3) digit numerical displays, not including a nine-tenths inch (9/10") fractional digit or decimal point. An example is identified below:
5. All electronic messages must remain static.
C. Electronic Movie Board Signs: Electronic movie board signs displaying current movie and show times are permitted subject to the following requirements:
1. The electronic message area shall not exceed one hundred (100) square feet.
2. Text shall not exceed eight inches (8") in height.
3. The total lines of text shall be limited to the total available on premises movie showings.
4. Each electronic sign face shall include a circuit board equipped with light sensors per side to automatically adjust brightness based on ambient light level.
5. All electronic messages must remain static.
D. Electronic Message Signs: Electronic message signs are permitted subject to the following requirements:
1. Messages And Text:
a. Transition from one message to another shall be instantaneous, without movement or other transition effects between messages.
b. Messages shall not change more frequently than once every ten (10) seconds.
2. Display And Brightness: Signs shall not display any video, animation or moving pictures or simulate any movement or the optical illusion of movement of any part of the sign text, design or pictorial segment, including the movement of any illumination or the flashing or varying of light intensity.
3. Operation And Use: Signs shall be equipped to override commercial messages for emergency situations such as an "Amber Alert" or such other acute public emergency. The owner of the electronic message sign shall provide the village with contact persons who can activate the override upon request by the village.
4. Location:
a. Electronic message signs shall be restricted to commercial and industrial uses in the following corridors: Biesterfield Road, Meacham Road, Arlington Heights Road, Rohlwing Road, Devon Avenue, Landmeier Road, Higgins Road (IL-72), and Busse Road (IL-83).
b. No electronic message sign shall be located within five hundred feet (500') of another electronic message sign, nor shall it share the structure of any other reader board or changeable copy sign.
c. Uses shall be limited to multi-tenant buildings consisting of six (6) or more tenants.
5. Size And Design: The electronic message sign shall take up no more than forty percent (40%) of the total sign face on each side, and be subject to the following additional requirements:
a. Signs shall be mounted in a monument style base that is at least as wide as the sign face, a minimum of one foot six inches (1'6") in height, and composed of a natural masonry finish such as brick or stone matching the principal building. Alternative materials consistent with the principal building may be considered by the village.
b. Such sign shall not exceed fifteen feet (15') in height or fifteen feet (15') in width.
c. Such sign shall not exceed eighty (80) square feet per face, excluding architectural elements which do not contain signage.
d. Signs shall be located in a minimum two hundred (200) square foot landscape area, excluding the area of the sign, and integrated into the overall site design, including the appropriate use of berming, landscaping, and decorative hardscape on a plan approved by community development.
e. Each electronic sign face shall be antiglare and shall not exceed a total of thirty two (32) square feet. The square footage of each face shall be included in the calculation of the total area of all signage allowed for the property.
E. Existing Electronic Signs: All electronic signs granted approval prior to the passing of this section shall be permitted to repair or replace the sign under the following conditions:
1. The sign shall substantially conform to the original installation plans approved by the department of community development.
2. All sign operation regulations set forth in this chapter shall apply.
(Ord. 3434, 10-13-2015; amd. Ord. 3452, 4-26-2016)