A. General. See the definition of "off-premises signs" in § 600-2205.
(1) No part of any billboard or other off-premises sign shall be located more than 100 feet from the nearest street line of any traffic route and no billboard or other off-premises sign shall be oriented primarily toward any street other than a traffic route as defined herein.
B. Regulations. Billboards and other off-premises signs, including those painted on building walls, shall conform to the following regulations, in addition to other applicable requirements:
(1) Exemptions. A sign that includes occasional public service messages shall not by itself be considered an off-premises sign. Signs that are authorized by PennDOT or the City of Reading to direct persons to visitor attractions shall not be considered off- premises signs.
(2) Location.
(a) Billboards and other off-premises signs shall be permitted only along "traffic routes," as defined in § 600-2205 in the MU, H-M and C-H Zoning Districts. An off-premises sign in the C-H, MU and H-M Districts shall not exceed 300 square feet on each of a maximum of two sides.
(b) Billboards and other off-premises signs shall be located to conform with all yard and special setback requirements of this chapter.
(c) Any such sign located adjacent to a building, on another lot, containing windows facing such billboard or other off-premises sign shall be located a minimum of 50 feet from such windows. Any billboard or off-premises sign that is illuminated or more than 50 square feet in sign area shall be located a minimum of: 300 feet from an existing dwelling in a residential district; and 500 feet from any City-recognized Historic Preservation District or any public park, primary or secondary school or hospital in any direction.
(d) No billboard structure shall be located on or over the roofs of buildings situated on the same lot. No billboard structure shall be located on or adjacent to another billboard structure at the same site, with the exception of two billboard sign areas that are approximately back-to-back.
(3) (Reserved)
(4) Height. The maximum height of any off-premises free standing sign shall be 35 feet above grade. When the topography is such that the point at which a billboard must be erected is lower in grade than the fronting street or highway, the elevation of the street or highway shall be considered grade.
(5) No two billboard sign structures shall be spaced less than 1,200 feet apart along any City street. The distance between sign structures shall be measured along the nearest edge of the pavement between points directly opposite the signs along the same side of traveled way. The spacing requirement applies to signs located on both sides of the street. The distance between billboard signs shall be measured radially from the base of the sign structure nearest to the base of any other billboard sign structure along the same street, regardless of whether the relevant sign structures are on the same or opposite sides of the street.
(6) Lighting. See § 600-1714.
(7) Billboards and other off-premises signs may be single-faced, double-faced, or V- shaped structures. Double-faced and/or V-shaped billboard structures shall not exceed 300 square feet per display area regardless of street frontage or length of building wall.
C. Landscaping requirements.
(1) Single-faced billboards with the rear viewable from a public right-of-way or other public property shall have three equally spaced eight-foot tall evergreen trees planted in the rear of the billboard and the reverse side of the sign shall be of one color.
(2) All landscaping surrounding signage shall be maintained in a neat, attractive and clean condition.
D. Other off-premises sign provisions. In addition to the provisions of Subsection B hereof, the following provisions shall apply to other off-premises signs:
(1) A business may have one directional off-premises sign within one mile distance from its business location, provided such sign contains not over 32 square feet of surface area which shall be included within the surface area permitted by Subsection B hereof, and is located in either the CH, M-C or H-M Zones.
(2) Any off-premises sign exceeding 32 square feet in surface area shall be deemed a billboard.