SEC. 609.10. IN THE MARKET STREET SPECIAL SIGN DISTRICT.

   (a)   General Advertising Signs. Any lawfully existing General Advertising Sign within the Market Street Special Sign District, other than such a Sign located on a wall immediately adjacent to the establishment to which it directs attention, shall be removed within five years after the effective date of said Special Sign District or such later date as the location of such Sign may be designated as part of said Special Sign District; provided, however, that if the public street and plaza improvements within any of the sections of the Market Street Special Sign District listed below have not been substantially completed at the end of said five-year period in accordance with the architectural plans entitled “Market Street Reconstruction,” Transit Task Force File No. 810.00R1 through 810.28R1, dated September 10, 1970, and “Surface Plan - Hallidie Plaza,” Transit Task Force File No. 1000, dated July 15, 1970, including permanent pavement of sidewalk and roadway areas, planting of trees and placement of furnishings, then said General Advertising Signs within any such section need not be removed until 30 days after the date of substantial completion of said improvements in the section in which said Signs are located:

      (1)   Between The Embarcadero and the easterly line of Third Street;

      (2)   Between the easterly line of Third Street and the easterly line of Powell Street;

      (3)   Between the easterly line of Powell Street and the easterly line of Seventh Street;

      (4)   Between the easterly line of Seventh Street and the easterly line of Twelfth Street;

      (5)   Between the easterly line of Twelfth Street and the Central Skyway overpass.

      It is hereby found and declared that as of May 18, 1976, six years after the effective date of the Market Street Special Sign District, the public street and plaza improvements within each and every section of Market Street listed above have been substantially completed in accordance with the plans and other terms set forth above. Accordingly, all general advertising signs specified in this Subsection (a) shall be removed forthwith. This amendment is intended only to clarify existing provisions of law, and thereby to facilitate administration of those provisions.

      It is hereby found and declared, further, that a six-year amortization period for general advertising signs throughout the Market Street Special Sign District is more than adequate in view of the express purposes of the Special District, the massive public and private investments that have already taken place, and the new environment created in all sections of the street. In addition, it is noted that the amortization period for general advertising signs originally adopted in this district was three years, which period was extended to five years with the proviso concerning substantial completion, and that the amortization periods for all other signs affected by this Section were only one, two and three years, which periods have in all cases already been enforced and complied with; the factor, also, demonstrates that a six-year amortization period for general advertising signs is more than adequate.

   (b)   Moving Parts. Any lawfully existing sign within the Market Street Special Sign District that has a moving part or parts legally nonconforming under Subsection 607(d) of this Code shall be removed or altered to conform therewith within three years after the effective date of said Special Sign District or such later date as the location of such sign may be designated as part of said Special Sign District.

   (c)   Temporary Signs. Any lawfully existing sign within the Market Street Special Sign District which does not conform to the requirements of Paragraph 608.8(f)(1) of this Code shall be removed or altered to conform therewith within one year after the effective date of said Special Sign District or such later date as the location of such sign may be designated as part of said Special Sign District.

   (d)   Signs, Structures and Features in Public Areas. Any lawfully existing sign, structure or feature within the Market Street Special Sign District which does not conform to the requirements of Paragraph 608.8(f)(2) of this Code shall be removed or altered to conform therewith within one year after the effective date of said Special Sign District or such later date as the location of such sign, structure or feature may be designated as part of said Special Sign District, if such sign, structure or feature is within Market Street, within Powell Street, or within any other street area opposite a street property line that abuts Market Street and faces Market Street at an angle of less than 90 degrees. This removal requirement shall, among other things, specifically apply to all canopies now in place in said Special Sign District and located as described herein.

   (e)   Projection. Except as provided herein, any lawfully existing sign or other feature within the Market Street Special Sign District which does not conform to the projection limitations of Paragraph 608.8(d)(1) of this Code shall be removed or altered to conform therewith within two years after the effective date of said Special Sign District if such sign or other feature projects over either street property line of Market Street, either street property line of Powell Street, or any other street property line that abuts Market Street and faces Market Street at an angle of less than 90 degrees. The Zoning Administrator may, in specific cases, permit the retention or alteration of an existing sign or other feature which projects more than six feet but in no event and under no circumstances more than eight feet, if the Zoning Administrator determines (1) that the sign or feature is of high quality, in scale with its surroundings, not detrimental to other properties, and not so located that it will conflict with trees or other features in the street area, and (2) that unusual circumstances apply concerning the nature of the sign or feature or concerning the building that would make adherence to the six-foot limitation impractical without offsetting public advantages.

   (f)   Revocation of Permits. Any permit issued for erection or alteration of a sign, structure or feature required to be removed or altered under Subsection 609.10(d) or (e) above is hereby revoked as of the date on which such removal or alteration is required. The permit for any sign erected or altered pursuant to Section 4653(b) of the Building Code, enacted by Ordinance No. 325-69, pertaining to signs for new businesses or organizations and change in name of business or organizations, pending adoption of permanent standards for signs in the Market Street area, shall be automatically revoked upon adoption of this present ordinance, if the sign authorized by such permit does not conform to all such permanent standards made applicable hereby to the property on which the sign is located.

(Amended by Ord. 64-77, App. 2/18/77; Ord. 217-16, File No. 160424, App. 11/10/2016, Eff. 12/10/2016)

AMENDMENT HISTORY

Section header and division (a) amended; Ord. 217-16, Eff. 12/10/2016.