Sign regulations, including provisions to control the type, design, size, location, motion, illumination, enforcement and maintenance thereof, are established in order to achieve, among others, the following purposes:
A. To promote traffic safety by preventing obstructions within public rights-of-way, minimizing visual distractions to motorists, ensuring that sign size and height are appropriate to their location and preventing conflicts with public safety signs and police and fire protection;
B. To maintain high quality districts of all land uses, and attractive public and private facilities of all types, by permitting only signs appropriate to their environs;
C. To provide for reasonable and appropriate methods for locating goods, services and facilities in all zoning districts by relating the size, type and design of signs to the size, type and design of the uses and districts; and
D. To control the design and size of all signs so that their appearance will be aesthetically harmonious with an overall design for the area, in accordance with commonly accepted community planning and design practices, and the City's Master Plan.
The City does not intend to infringe on the rights of free speech as protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, §11 of the Ohio Constitution. All regulations in this chapter are to be construed, whenever possible, in favor of vigorous political debate and accommodation of the rights of persons to speak freely.
(Ord. 2020-79. Passed 11-17-20.)