A. No Permit Required.
No permit is required to place, erect or display the following signs or apparatus in the Downtown Commons Area, but all signs or apparatus must be in conformance with the regulations of this chapter and all other requirements set forth in this Code:
1. Signs permitted under Section 1174.06.
2. Special event apparatus, such as banners, balloons, posters and similar devices, with the approval of the Building Inspector, may be displayed, erected or placed not more than ten (10) days prior to the special event and shall be removed within two (2) days following said special event. The Building Inspector may disapprove special event apparatus if such do not meet the requirements of Sections 1174.03 and 1174.05.
3. Awning signs, the area of which shall be included in the maximum sign area permitted per premises.
4. Incidental signs not to exceed two (2) square feet per sign face per tenant space, the area of which shall be included in the maximum sign area permitted per premises.
(Ord. 99-56. Passed 4-5-99.)
B. Permit Required.
A permit is required to place, erect or display the following signs in the Downtown Commons Area. However, the total sign area shall not exceed one hundred twenty-five (125) square feet in cumulative area per premises. Sign types and sizes are permitted as follows, except as provided in Section 1174.08 (A)(2)(a):
1. One (1) ground mounted sign per premises not to exceed two (2) square feet in sign area for each linear foot of main street frontage, up to a maximum of forty-eight (48) square feet. Such sign shall not exceed a height of nine (9) feet. No part of any freestanding sign shall extend over any public sidewalk or public street, or part thereof.
2. Two (2) painted wall signs or wall signs per tenant space, not to exceed two and one-half (2-1/2) square feet in sign area for each linear foot of that occupancy's building frontage, up to a maximum of one hundred twenty-five (125) square feet, except as provided in Section 1174.08 (A) (2) (a).
3. One (1) under-canopy sign per tenant space, not to exceed four (4) square feet in sign area, the area of which shall not be included in the maximum area permitted.
4. One (1) non-illuminated projecting sign per tenant space, not to exceed three (3) square feet per sign face.
C. Supplementary Regulations for the Downtown Commons Area.
The following supplementary regulations shall apply to all signage within the Downtown Commons Area:
1. Each sign erected, hung or suspended and which extends over and across any public sidewalk, public street or part thereof, shall not extend out from the building or structure upon which the sign is erected, suspended or hung a distance greater than eight (8) feet, nor in any event, except as hereinafter provided, to a point nearer than three (3) feet from any curb line extended vertically. No such sign shall be erected so as to have less than eight (8) feet of vertical clearance between such sign and the public sidewalk or way over which sign is suspended, erected or hung; however, this provision shall not apply to signs erected upon, but not suspended from, any marquee, in which case the sign may extend to within three (3) feet of the curb line of the street.
2. Additional wall signs or painted wall signs shall be permitted at the rate of three percent (3%) of the exposed surface area of each side or rear wall up to a maximum of one hundred fifty (150) square feet per additional face.
3. On a corner lot one additional wall sign or painted wall sign and additional canopy, under-canopy, awning and marquee signs shall be permitted on the additional frontage, not to exceed the size limitations of other allowed wall and painted wall signs.
4. All signs shall conform to Ohio law regarding copy and use of symbols on the sign face.
D. Nonconforming Signs.
Any sign that lawfully exists at the time of the passage of this chapter which would not be permitted by these regulations is a nonconforming sign. All nonconforming signs must be removed not later than April 15, 2002.
1. A nonconforming sign shall not be enlarged or altered in any way which increases its nonconformity, but a sign or portion thereof may be altered to decrease its nonconformity.
2. A nonconforming sign shall not be replaced or reconstructed unless it conforms to the regulations of this section, except that the message of a nonconforming sign which contains a painted, papered or changeable copy sign (manual) may be changed.
E. Prohibited Signs.
The following types of signs are prohibited in the Downtown Commons Area, in addition to the prohibitions found in Section 1174.03:
1. Banners, pennants, festoons and searchlights, except as allowed in Section 1174.08(A)(2)(a).
2. Signs which advertise goods or services and are placed on vehicles or trailers which are parked or located for the primary purpose of displaying said sign (this does not apply to signs or lettering on buses, taxis or other vehicles operating during the normal course of business).
3. Off-premises signs (billboards).
4. Signs placed or displayed on a building wall to advertise goods or services not pertaining to the permitted use conducted on the premises.
5. Roof signs and portable signs.
6. Any illuminated sign lighting device that does not emit light of constant intensity, or which contains a flashing, intermittent or moving light or lights (this does not apply to an automatic changeable copy sign).
(Ord. 98-176. Passed 8-3-98; Ord. 2001-72. Passed 5-7-01; Ord. 2008-138. Passed 10-6-08.)