Reader board signs with electronically displayed messages shall be permitted on property used for nonresidential purposes in all zoning districts other than B1 and B2, subject to conformance with the following regulations and conformance with all other applicable requirements of this chapter and Code:
(A) Location: Electronic reader board signs shall:
1. Only be located on lots fronting onto “major arterial roads”, which are defined, for purposes of this section, as the following State or County designated highways: Harlem Avenue, Ogden Avenue and First Avenue. Each major arterial road must, in addition, have at least two (2) lanes of travel for traffic in each direction at the location where the sign is requested. Excepted from this subsection are the allowance of electronic reader board signs at two transit locations: (1) the Metra station, platforms, and commuter parking facilities, where Metra’s digital displays are standard design across the entire Metra system and mandated by Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements; and (2) potential Pace Pulse bus rapid transit (BRT) stations along the Harlem Avenue corridor, where each special bus stop is provided with a fifteen-foot (15') vertical marker that features electronic real-time bus arrival times; bus stop signage along the future Pace Pulse Harlem Avenue Line would likely be located within the public right-of-way, requiring coordination with IDOT as well as review and approval from the Village;
2. Not be located on the same side of a major arterial road less than five hundred feet (500') from an existing electronic reader board sign;
3. Only be located on a zoning lot containing at least three hundred feet (300') of property running adjacent to a “major arterial road”, as defined above, and may only be located on the portion of the lot adjacent to the major arterial road; and
4. Not be located within one hundred eighty feet (180') of a residence, as measured from the base of the reader board sign face to the nearest portion of the residence.
(B) Display Characteristics: Electronic reader board signs shall:
1. Display only references to the business or activities conducted on the premises on which the sign is located. Congratulatory messages relative to the business or activities conducted on the premises, civic announcements such as Amber Alerts, and the time and date and/or temperature are also allowed. No off site advertising content is allowed;
2. Operate only between six o’clock (6:00) A.M. and ten o’clock (10:00) P.M. each day; excepted from this paragraph are the allowance of Metra and Pace’s digital displays to run throughout their respective daily service schedules, which serves as a courtesy and conveyance of important travel information for transit riders; and
3. Not display any flashing, blinking, undulating, revolving, fluttering or delayed action, in conformance with subsection 4-3-5(A)5 of this chapter. Nor may such a sign display any video or graphic animation, scrolling text, illumination representing movement, fades and dissolves between displayed messages, or the use of any chasing, scintillating or high intensity lighting and background illumination.
(C) Construction: Electronic reader board signs shall:
1. Be properly maintained, and all bulbs, pixels and the like shall be in working, properly illuminating condition at all times. In the event the owner of the premises is notified by the Village of the need for specific maintenance and/or repair activities, the owner shall perform such maintenance or repair within three (3) business days of notification;
2. Be attached to and subordinate to a permitted wall or ground sign; and
3. Make up no more than sixty percent (60%) of the total square footage of the sign of which it is attached to and subordinate to.
4. Allow for Metra and Pace’s digital displays to maintain their standard design, which are consistent across the entire Metra system and Pace Pulse system, respectively. May be subject to Village review and approval, particularly regarding the historic nature of the Metra station. (Ord. 2874, 4-16-2015)