(A) The purpose of this chapter is to establish requirements and to encourage good design that meets the identification and informational needs of all land uses while maintaining the special character of the city. A basic tenet of adopting and applying these regulations is that unrestricted signs do not benefit either the private business owner or the community at large. Toward this end, the City Council finds that the city is a unique and historic community that has traditionally depended on tourism and that tourism is affected by the visual quality and character of the city.
(B) These sign regulations are intended to:
(1) Recognize that signs are a necessary means of useful communication for the convenience of the public;
(2) Maximize the value of signage as a means of locating and identifying businesses and properties;
(3) Protect, preserve, and enhance the unique aesthetic character, beauty, and charm of the city and its surrounding areas as a place to live, visit, and conduct business that encourages the continued development of tourism;
(4) Promote signs that are of appropriate scale and integrated with the surrounding buildings and landscape;
(5) Promote clear views of natural surroundings by minimizing visual clutter, reducing competition for airspace, and encouraging the construction of signs of natural materials, which are compatible with the historic, cultural and natural surroundings;
(6) Protect the public from hazardous conditions that can result from signs that are structurally unsafe, obscure the vision of motorists, create dangers to pedestrian traffic, or which compete or conflict with necessary traffic signals and warning signs;
(7) Eliminate distracting lighting, excessive glare, and light pollution by reasonably limiting the illumination of signs and buildings to subdued, adequately shielded, or concealed light sources;
(8) Impose reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions while not interfering with the free exercise of rights granted under the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America; and
(9) Maintain and enhance the historic character of Route 66.
(Ord. 939, passed 3-27-2014)