(a) It is the purpose and intent of this chapter to establish reasonable regulations which preserve the health, safety and general welfare of the public, while protecting each person's constitutional right to freedom of speech, as indicated by the following objectives:
(1) To prohibit signs which pose an unreasonable risk to the public safety;
(2) To limit the visual dominance of signs without unconstitutionally restricting the information conveyed;
(3) To provide for reasonable and appropriate methods for locating goods, services, and facilities in all zoning districts by relating the size, type and design of signs to the size, type and design of the uses and districts;
(4) To promote traffic safety by preventing obstructions within public rights-of-way, minimizing visual distractions to motorists, ensuring that sign size and height are appropriate to their location and preventing conflicts with public safety signs and police and fire protection;
(5) To maintain an aesthetically pleasing urban environment free of excessive visual clutter;
(6) To create a system of variances and appeals to allow exceptions, where justified by a hardship; and
(7) To facilitate rigorous enforcement of this chapter, while preserving each individual's right to due process.
(b) The City does not intend to infringe on the rights of free speech as protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Chapter I, § 11 of the Ohio Constitution. All regulations in this chapter are to be construed, whenever possible, in favor of vigorous political debate and accommodation of the rights of persons to speak freely.
(Ord. O-21-6. Passed 6-17-21.)
(a) For the purpose of this chapter, certain words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in Chapter 1290.
(b) Where terms are related to measurements and calculations set out in this chapter, such terms shall be as established in this section.
(c) Sign Setback. All required setbacks for signs shall be measured as the minimum linear distance between a sign, building, or structure and:
(1) The right-of-way line of a public street or highway easement; or
(2) The side lot line of an adjacent parcel.
(d) Sign Height.
(1) The height of a sign shall be computed as the distance from the base of the sign at normal grade (average grade at the base of the sign) to the top of the highest attached component of the sign. Normal grade shall be construed to be the newly established grade after construction, exclusive of any filling, berming, mounding, or excavating solely undertaken for the purpose of locating or increasing the height of sign.
(2) The filling of a hole or depression to create an average grade the same level as that surrounding the hole or depression is permitted, provided such filling is allowed by other ordinances.
(3) In cases where the normal grade is below grade at street level, sign height shall be computed on the assumption that the elevation of the normal grade at the base of the sign is equal to the elevation of the nearest point of the crown of a public or private street. See Figure 1281-1.
(e) Sign Area. The surface of a sign to be included when computing maximum allowable square footage of sign area shall be calculated as established in this section. For the purposes of calculating sign area, one of the following shapes may be used: circle, ellipse, triangle, square, rectangle, trapezoid, pentagon or hexagon.
(1) The calculation of sign area shall not include any supporting framework, bracing or decorative fence or wall unless such structural support is determined to constitute an integral part of the sign design by means of text or other commercial message, as determined by the City Manager, or their designee. See Figure 1281-2.
(2) For sign copy mounted or painted on a background panel, cabinet or surface distinctively painted, textured, lighted or constructed to serve as the background for the sign copy, the sign area shall be computed by means of the single smallest permitted shape that encompasses the extreme limits of the background panel, cabinet or surface. See Figure 1281-2 and Figure 1281-3.
(3) For sign copy where individual letters or elements are mounted on a building facade or window where there is no background panel, cabinet or surface distinctively painted, textured, lighted or constructed to serve as the background for the sign copy, the sign area shall be computed by means of the single smallest permitted shape that encloses all the letters or elements associated with the sign. See Figure 1281-4.
(4) In cases where there are multiple elements of sign copy on the same surface, any areas of sign copy that are within two feet of one another shall be calculated as a single sign area that shall be computed by means of the smallest permitted shape that encloses all sign copy within two feet of one another, otherwise the sign area shall be computed for each separate piece of sign copy. See Figure 1281-5.
(5) Decorative edging or other window treatments that are not an integral part of the sign copy shall not be considered a part of the sign for the purposes of this chapter. See Figure 1281-5.
(6) When two identically sized, flat sign faces are placed back-to-back with no more than six inches in separation, so that both faces cannot be viewed from any one point at the same time, the sign area shall be computed by the measurement of one of the sign faces. If the two faces are unequal, the sign area shall be calculated based on the larger of the two faces.
(f) Facade Measurements.
(1) When calculating the permitted sign area based on the width of any facade, such calculation shall be based on viewing the facade from a 90-degree angle (i.e., straight on) from the adjacent street, regardless of facade insets, offsets or angles. See Figure 1281-6.
(2) For multi-tenant buildings, the portion of a building that is owned or leased by a single occupant or tenant shall be considered a building unit.
(Ord. O-21-6. Passed 6-17-21.)