All proposed exterior 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 support commercial (SC) district and the residential medium-density (RM) district, as applicable to the allowed land uses specified for each respective parcel.
A. Ground Signs:
1. Development Identification Signage:
a. A maximum of two (2) development identification signs, one per public street frontage, which identify the name of the development shall be allowed. Said signs shall not exceed ten feet (10') in height and one hundred twenty five (125) square feet in overall size.
b. The name of the development shall be the predominate copy on the sign with no more than three (3) tenant names displayed on the development sign. The total copy area dedicated to tenant identification shall not exceed sixty four (64) square feet. The tenant copy area shall be comprised of individually attached and illuminated letters, routered sign face with push through letters, or opaque vinyl backing to limit the illumination to the copy of the sign and eliminated backlighting of the background areas.
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 structure and shall have a noticeable base and/or column element comprised of brick or stone. Ground signs throughout the Jordan West development shall be a unifying element, consistent in design and materials. 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 two (2) tenant monument signs which list the development name and names of businesses located within the development shall be allowed. There shall be no limit on the number of tenants identified on a sign.
b. Tenant monument signs shall be a minimum of twenty feet (20') from the public street right of way line or fifteen feet (15') from the curb of a private street. The sign structure shall be a maximum of seven and one-half feet (71/2') in height and no greater than sixty five (65) square feet in overall size. If located adjacent to a private street or drive, the sign structure shall be a maximum of six and one-half feet (61/2') in height and no greater than forty five (45) square feet in overall size.
c. The tenant copy area shall be comprised of individually attached and illuminated letters, routered sign face with push through letters, or opaque vinyl backing to limit the illumination to the copy of the sign and eliminated backlighting of the background areas.
d. Said signs shall be landscaped at the base of the structure and shall have a noticeable base and/or column element comprised of brick or stone. Ground signs throughout the Jordan West development shall be a unifying element, consistent in design and materials. 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. Residential Identification Signs (Parcel 8 As Indicated On The Specific Plan Map): One ground monument sign identifying the name of the residential development shall be allowed at each vehicle access drive into parcel 8. Said sign shall be set back a minimum of ten feet (10') back from the back of curb of any private street and fifteen feet (15') from any public street right of way. The maximum height for the residential monument sign shall be five feet (5') and the maximum size of the structure shall be thirty five (35) square feet. Said signs shall be landscaped at the base of the structure and shall have a noticeable base and/or column element comprised of brick or stone. Ground signs throughout the Jordan West development shall be a unifying element, consistent in design and materials. 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.
4. Directional Signage: To help facilitate vehicular movement and provide direction to patrons to various public streets and private internal access drives, directional signage may be permitted within the Jordan West development at the discretion of the director of development services or their designee. The primary intent of directional signage is not to draw people off of the public streets but rather direct them through the streets and drives within the development. Sign locations are generally intended to be at interior locations within the development, thus letter size is intended to be only large enough for a vehicle in close proximity to read it and not such that it is legible from the exterior of the property and/or public streets. Directional signs shall not be larger than eight (8) square feet and a maximum of four feet (4') in height. Tenant identification may be allowed on the directional signs if it is determined by the director of development services that identification of a tenant is necessary and beneficial for orientation purposes. Tenant identification is not intended as a marketing tool as part of lease agreements. Said signs may only be located on private property within the Jordan West development; shall not be located within public utility easements and shall be located outside of both pedestrian and vehicle vision triangles at intersections. A sign permit shall be issued by the city prior to installation of any direction signs.
B. Wall Signage: The regulations and provisions set forth in title 9, chapter 18, “Signs”, of the city code for the designated zoning classification for the respective parcel shall govern sign design and placement with the exception of the following: Parcels 5 and 6 and any individual tenant space within Parcel 4 that does not have public street frontage shall be allowed one square foot of wall signage per linear foot of tenant frontage which contains the building’s primary public entrance. No wall signage shall be allowed on any wall facing single- family residential properties. Tenant signage shall generally be placed on the wall area of the tenant’s location within the building, however, the management of a multi-tenant building may allow a tenant to place a sign on another wall area of the building so long as the sign allocations for that wall will not be exceeded and the total allowed sign area for the building based upon the earned sign formula contained within will not be exceeded (i.e. 1 sf per linear foot for the building frontage facing the public street and ½ sf per linear foot of building frontage containing the majority of the primary public entrances).
1. Parcel 7 shall be allowed one and one-half (11/2) square feet of wall signage per linear foot of tenant frontage which contains the building’s primary public entrance. No wall signage shall be allowed on any wall facing a residential property.
2. All wall signage within the Jordan West development shall incorporate aesthetic features compatible with the overall character of the development. All wall signs will be composed of either solid individual letters of anodized aluminum or galvanized metal or plastic attached to the building fascia, illuminated self-contained individual letters with translucent plastic faces set in anodized aluminum returns and trim or solid metal panels with routed letters illuminated by recessed cabinets. To the greatest extent possible, signs shall be contoured to minimize the excess unused area of a sign and to minimize the amount of glow. Logos may be incorporated into wall signage and shall not be larger than one and one-half (11/2) times that size of the largest letter in the sign. A contoured panel sign may be allowed for logo signs but shall be designed so that only the logo is illuminated and background areas are covered with opaque vinyl or a routed face design. The sign administrator shall work with the applicant to accomplish a sign for the logo that allows for the tenant’s identity to be recognized but minimizes the background illumination and addresses the intent of this ordinance. (Ord. 2097, 6-29-2015; amd. Ord. 2554, 1-3-2023)