All proposed ground and exterior wall signage requires a sign permit issued by the city of West Des Moines through normal sign review procedures. Unless otherwise prescribed herein, signage shall abide by the standards and regulations as set forth in title 9, chapter 18, "Signs", of the city code for the regional commercial (RC) district.
A. Ground Signs:
1. Project Entry Signage:
a. A maximum of two (2) project entry signs which identify the name of the development and a maximum of two (2) tenants within the development shall be allowed.
b. The sign structure shall not exceed ten feet (10') in height and one hundred twenty five (125) square feet in overall size.
c. The name of the development shall be the predominate copy on the sign with the tenant copy smaller and secondary to the development identification copy. The tenant identification copy area shall not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the total sign structure area. The tenant copy area shall be comprised of individually attached and illuminated letters or a panel sign sized and treated (opaque vinyl or router face) to minimize the amount of the sign area that illuminates.
d. Said signs shall be set back a minimum of twenty feet (20') from ultimate public street right of way lines and out of vision triangles at intersections.
e. Said signs shall be landscaped at the base of the sign. No additional mounding of soil or berming shall be allowed to elevate the sign except as required as part of a site plan for screening purposes.
2. Tenant Monument Signs:
a. A maximum of three (3) tenant monument signs which list the development name and names of businesses located within the development shall be allowed.
b. The sign structure shall not exceed ten feet (10') in height and sixty five (65) square feet in overall size. The tenant copy area shall not exceed thirty five (35) square feet. The tenant copy area shall be comprised of a router face panel to minimize the amount of the sign area that illuminates and gives the appearance of individual letters.
c. Said signs shall be set back a minimum of twenty feet (20') from ultimate public street right of way lines and out of vision triangles at intersections.
d. Said signs shall be landscaped at the base of the sign. No additional mounding of soil or berming shall be allowed to elevate the sign except as required as part of a site plan for screening purposes.
3. Directional Signs:
a. Directional signs may be allowed interior to the development to assist in directing patrons through the site. The intent of directional signage is not to draw people off of the public street, so letter size and sign location shall be designed to minimize visibility and readability from the exterior of the property.
b. Said signs shall be a maximum height of four feet (4') and maximum square footage of eight (8) square feet. (Ord. 1765, 7-16-2007)
B. Wall Signage:
1. Regulations: All wall signage shall consist of individual three-dimensional letters attached directly to the building. No cabinet or panel signs shall be allowed except for contoured cabinet signs necessary to display logos. In the event cabinet signs are necessary to accommodate a logo, said cabinets shall be contoured to the logo shape and every measure possible shall be implemented to minimize the amount of illuminated background. Raceways shall be prohibited.
The use of projecting signs (which may also be referred to as blade signs) shall be allowed within the PUD as part of the wall signage allowed for a tenant. Any projecting sign shall comply with the applicable regulations in the West Des Moines sign code and the following unless noted otherwise elsewhere in this PUD ordinance:
a. Only one projecting sign allowed per tenant space.
b. The projecting sign shall be counted as part of the allowed wall signage for the tenant space and shall not be greater than one-half (1/2) of the total allowed wall signage earned by the wall on which the sign will be mounted.
c. The sign may have two (2) faces but only one side of the sign will be counted to determine the size of the sign. No projecting sign shall extend further away from the wall than five feet (5') to the furthest edge.
d. All projecting signs shall be designed in such a manner that only the text, or graphic is illuminated, not the entire background of the sign, such as routered face or individual channel letters on an opaque backer.
e. The thickness measured between the principal faces of any projecting sign shall not exceed eighteen inches (18").
f. The projecting sign shall not be permitted to extend above the building roof more than one-half (1/2) the height of the sign. (Ord. 2116, 10-5-2015)
2. Location:
a. Single-tenant buildings: Wall signage may be located on any facade; however no sign on one facade may be greater in square footage than that facade is long (i.e., a 50 foot wall plane may place up to 50 square feet on said plane).
b. Multi-tenant buildings: Wall signage shall only be located on a wall plane associated with and contiguous to the tenant's leased space.
c. Wall signage located above a roof element shall be allowed at the discretion of the director of community development provided that the signage is located on a flat wall. Any illumination of the sign shall be by reverse lighting to project the light back towards the wall to create a "halo" effect; no front illumination is allowed. The individual letters shall have returns to screen the lighting source and shall be placed so the space between the wall plane and back of the letter is no greater than two inches (2").
3. Allowed Per Building Or Tenant: Wall signage allowed per building or tenant shall be allowed as follows:
a. Those tenants located at the north end of the development and towards the interior of the site (lots 9 and 10, Paradise Pointe plat 1): Allowed two (2) square feet of wall signage per every one linear foot of southern store facade (2:1 ratio).
b. Single-tenant building: Allowed one square foot per one linear foot based on the longest side.
c. Multi-tenant building: Allowed one square foot per one linear foot of facade which contains the main public entry into the tenant lease area. In addition, one-half (1/2) square foot per one linear foot of facade which contains a secondary public entry into the tenant lease area shall be allowed. The signage may be divided between front and back wall planes; however, no sign on one facade may be greater in square footage than that facade is long (i.e., for a 20 foot tenant bay, up to 20 square feet may be placed on each side of the building).
C. LED, Neon, Or Other Fiber Optic Signs: LED, neon, or other fiber optic signs may be permitted at the discretion of the sign administrator. No moving or blinking lights or electronic reader boards shall be allowed.
D. Paradise Pointe Identification: Nonilluminated signage, medallions, keystones, banners, pavement markings, etc., that displays the development's logo, initials, or name may be integrated into the development to further enhance the character of the development. No tenant identification shall be allowed in conjunction with this type of Paradise Pointe identification.
1. No tenant identification is allowed.
2. These identifiers will not count towards signage and will need to be identified and reviewed at the time of site plan or permitted conditional use reviews. (Ord. 1765, 7-16-2007)