The following regulations shall control the computation and measurement of sign area, sign height, window area, and building frontage.
(a) Determining Building Frontage and Building Unit. For the purposes of these sign regulations, the length of the building wall that faces a public street, that faces a public parking lot, or that contains a public entrance to the uses therein shall be considered the building frontage.
(1) The primary frontage shall be the portion of a frontage that serves as the main access point to a building or building unit. A site/building will be considered to have secondary frontage when any of the following site/building characteristics are present:
A. The subject site is a corner lot;
B. The primary parking area is not located adjacent to a public street; and,
C. The building or unit has walls with ingress and egress that do not face the public street.
(2) Each building frontage shall be entitled to the sign area permitted in this Chapter.
(3) The building frontage shall be measured along such building wall between the exterior faces of the exterior side walls. The building frontage for a building unit shall be measured from the centerline of the party walls defining the building unit.
(4) In the case of an irregular wall surface, a single straight line extended along such wall surface shall be used to measure the length.
(5) For buildings with a group of activities, the portion of a building that is owned or leased by a single occupant shall be considered a building unit. When a site has primary and secondary frontage as defined herein, the property owner shall determine which wall shall be the primary building frontage and which wall(s) shall be the secondary building frontage. Only one outside wall of any business shall be considered its primary frontage.
(b) Determining Signable Area and Sign Area.
Signs may be displayed as freestanding ground signs, wall signs and roof signs, window signs and projecting signs within the limitations and restrictions as further provided by this Chapter, provided the items of information allowance authorized by this Section is not exceeded.
(1) For wall signs and roof signs:
A. One (1) signable area may be chosen for each building frontage of the occupant that is eligible for wall signs pursuant to this Chapter, and the square footage for such area shall be calculated as an imaginary rectangle or square enclosed therein.
B. Each occupant is entitled to display a sign or signs containing a cumulative total of no more than eight (8) items of information along a primary frontage. Each occupant is entitled to display a sign or signs containing a cumulative total of no more than six (6) items of information along a secondary frontage. Each occupant is entitled to display a sign or signs of no more than six (6) square feet at the rear entrance for identification or instruction purposes.
C. Signs should be commonly designed as part of the building or architectural style and not just be unrelated areas with lettering.
D. An item of information means any of the following: a word, an abbreviation, a number, a symbol or a geometric shape.
E. In computing items of information, the following lettering is not to be included:
i. Letters less than three (3) inches in height, if they are contained in a wall sign.
ii. Letters less than nineteen (19) inches in height carved into or securely attached in such a way that they are an architectural detail of a building, provided:
a. They are not illuminated apart from the building, are not made of reflecting material, and do not contrast sharply in color with the building.
b. Do not exceed one (1) inch in thickness.
iii. Directional signs no larger than two (2) by three (3) feet.
F. In calculating the sign area of a wall and roof sign the following provisions apply:
i. The total area of the sign, including the background, is counted as part of the sign area, if the sign is enclosed by a box or outline.
ii. For a sign comprised of individual letters, figures or elements on a wall or similar surface of the building or structure, the area and dimensions of the sign shall encompass a regular geometric shape (rectangle, circle, or triangle), or a combination of regular geometric shapes, which form, or approximate, the perimeter of all elements in the display.
 |
Illustrations for sign area calculation using a combination of geometric shapes.
(2) For freestanding signs:
A. Eight (8) items of information may be displayed on one (1) or both sides of a freestanding ground sign.
B. The sign area shall be computed by the measurement of one (1) of the faces when two (2) identical display faces are joined, are parallel, or within 30 degrees of being parallel to each other and are at no point separated by a distance that exceeds two feet apart.
C. No more than two display faces shall be permitted.
D. The portion of a solid freestanding sign base that is mostly screened by landscaping, up to a maximum height of two (2) feet, shall not be calculated as sign area.
(c) Determining Sign Height. The height of a sign shall be measured from the average natural grade at the base of the sign or support structure to the tallest element of the calculated sign area. A freestanding sign on a man-made base, including a graded earth mound, shall be measured from the average site grade prior to the addition of the sign.
(d) Determining Window Area. Window area shall be the total glass area of windows and doors on the wall of a building facing a public street for that portion of a building occupied by an occupant. Opaque panels shall not be considered window area or window signage. For the purposes of determining window area for ground floor occupants, the ground floor shall be considered to be no more than fifteen (15) feet in height above grade.