In order to facilitate information, legibility, traffic safety and general economic vitality, signs should be designed in a manner compatible with the character and style of the buildings on which they are located. adjoining buildings, and neighboring signs; in terms, color, materials and size. Furthermore, signs shall be designed to be structurally sound and located so as to pose no harm to pedestrian or vehicular traffic. More specifically, signs shall be designed in accordance with the following standards. Use of the term "should" in place of "shall" indicates that a standard is a recommendation and not a mandatory regulation.
(a) Free-Standing Signs. Sign panels on free-standing signs shall face no more than two directions. The distance between parallel, back-to-back sign panels shall be no greater than three feet. If a "V" shaped sign, the angle between sign faces, as measured at the point of intersection, shall not exceed sixty degrees (60°).
(b) Construction. All signs and supporting structures shall be such as to withstand a wind pressure of thirty pounds per square foot. All electrical wiring, fittings and material used in construction and operation of signs shall conform to the codes and specifications of the Village of Russells Point to the extent the specifications are in effect or to the applicable codes of the State of Ohio if none exist in the Village of Russells Point.
(c) Vertical Clearance. The lowest element of any sign which occupies vertical space above a pedestrian or vehicular way and is designed to permit traffic thereunder shall be at least ten feet above the finished grade of a sidewalk or other pedestrian way and at least sixteen feet above the finished grade of a pavement used for vehicular traffic if such sign is located within eighteen inches of the vertical projection of the pavement edge. Awnings or canopies displaying signs shall meet the clearance standards of Section 1177.12
, "Architectural Projections" .
(d) Relation to Traffic Devices. Unless regulated otherwise in the codes of the Village, signs shall not be erected so as to obstruct sight lines along any public way, traffic control lights, street name signs at intersections, or street sight lines or signals at railroad or grade crossings. Signs visible from the sight lines along a street shall not contain symbols or words such as "stop", "go", "slow", etc., or red or green lights that resemble traffic signs or devices.
(e) Visibility at Intersections. Signs shall be located and designed so as to maintain a substantially clear view between two and five-tenths feet and eight feet above grade in a triangle formed by intersecting street right-of-way lines and a line thirty feet from the point where the street lines intersect. At the intersection of a driveway and public street, such triangle shall be defined by the street right-of-way line, the driveway pavement edge and a line ten feet from the point of intersection.
(f) Exterior Display. No building or structure in any zoning district shall be maintained or operated in any manner that causes, creates, or allows public viewing of any adult material, or any entertainment depicting, describing, or relating to specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas, from any sidewalk or public or private right-of-way. No portion of the exterior of any building or structure shall contain any words, lettering, photographs, silhouettes, drawings, or pictorial representations of any adult material, specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas. This section shall apply to any advertisement, display, promotional material, decoration, or sign, to any performance, show or special event, and to any window, door, or other opening.
(Ord. 04-965. Passed 7-6-04.)