(A) The purpose of this chapter is to protect and promote the public health, safety, and welfare within the city by the establishment of comprehensive standards, regulations and procedures governing the erection, use or display of devises serving as visual communications media. Furthermore, enactment of the chapter will serve to preserve the residential character of residential neighborhoods, to preserve order and cleanliness, to avoid the appearance of clutter, to provide for necessary visual communication, to preserve and promote a pleasant physical environment, to ensure that the constitutionally guaranteed right of free speech is protected, to protect public and private property, and to encourage safety upon the streets and highways within the City of La Crescent by preserving the sight lines and reducing distractions to motorists. Finally, these rules and regulations are intended to support local businesses and to enhance the appeal of this area to residents and visitors.
(B) The city is located at the center of three national scenic by-ways, between bluffs, valleys and protected wetlands. These regulations are designed to balance the need for signage with the impact of such signage on the environment by establishing standards regarding the type, number, structure, size, location, height, lighting and maintenance of all permitted outdoor signs and sign structures.
(Ord. 497, passed 8-10-15; Am. Ord. 531. passed 3-25-19)