(a) In the interest of promoting the general health, safety and welfare of the residents of the City, as more fully set forth in the following findings, these regulations are herein established to provide for the use, location, size, height and design of signs, in order to ensure that all signs are appropriate to, and compatible with, the character of the associated uses and of the surrounding area.
(b) In establishing these purposes, the City has determined that no sign shall be permitted, erected or maintained as a main or accessory use except in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter, unless such sign is exempted from the provisions of this Chapter.
(c) In establishing these purposes, the City has determined that, without adequate regulation and design standards, signs are a nuisance. The number of signs in Union is excessive and is unduly distracting to motorists and pedestrians, creates a traffic hazard, and in some places reduces the effectiveness of signs needed to direct the public. As the appearance of the City is marred by the excessive number of, and oversized and poorly designed, signs, both residential and business property values are adversely affected. Therefore, the number of such distracting signs ought to be reduced and signs permitted should comply with the standards of this Chapter in order to reduce the aforementioned effects.
(d) The signs of least value to the people of Union are those which carry commercial messages other than the advertisement of any product, service, event, person, institution, or business located on the premises where the sign is located.
(e) In view of the foregoing, any sign that does not conform to the regulations of this Chapter, or any subsequent amendment thereto, shall therefore be deemed a public nuisance, and as such, must be abated as provided herein. It is further declared that the regulations contained in this Chapter are the minimum regulations necessary to abate the nuisance and to achieve the purposes of this Chapter.
(f) More specifically, the purposes of these regulations are to:
(1) Promote and maintain vehicular and pedestrian safety;
(2) Enhance and protect the physical appearance of the community;
(3) Promote and maintain attractive, high value residential, retail, commercial and industrial districts, and preserve the scenic and natural beauty of designated areas;
(4) Provide necessary, yet reasonable and appropriate, signage for all residential, institutional and business uses in the community;
(5) Ensure that signs are located and designed to maintain a safe and orderly pedestrian and vehicular environment, and to avoid confusion or hazardous conflict between traffic control signs and devices, and any other permitted sign;
(6) To provide the public with a safe and effective means of locating businesses, services and points of interest within the municipality;
(7) To protect the rights of property owners and occupants to display messages protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Therefore, the purpose of these regulations include the intention to remove any doubt that it is the public's right to receive and display messages protected by the First Amendment, including, but not limited to, religious, political, economic, social and philosophical messages subject, however, to reasonable regulations to assure safety and minimize visual blight. It is the further purpose of these regulations to affirm that an expedient appeal process exists that addresses these First Amendment concerns;
(8) Provide review procedures that enable and ensure the comprehensive evaluation of a sign's appropriateness to the site, building and surroundings, adherence to these purposes, and consistent enforcement of this Chapter's regulations;
(9) Establish and enforce a reasonable procedure for the eventual removal of legally non-conforming signs; and
(10) Prohibit all signs not expressly permitted by this Chapter.
(Ord. 1559. Passed 4-22-13.)