In the interest of promoting the general health, safety and welfare of the residents of the City, these regulations are herein established to provide for the location and size, construction, installation, maintenance and operation of signs in a manner that ensures that signs are in harmony with the character of the associated use and surrounding area.
(a) More specifically, the purpose of these regulations is to:
(1) Ensure that signs are consistent with the community's development objectives, thereby maintaining the community's heritage, aesthetic character and property values.
(2) Promote and maintain attractive, high value residential, business, and industrial districts.
(3) Promote clarity in sign communications while providing reasonable and appropriate opportunities to identify properties and advertise goods and services.
(4) Ensure that signs are located and designed to minimize sign clutter and the distractions and confusion that may be contributing factors in traffic congestion and accidents, and maintain a safe and orderly pedestrian and vehicular environment.
(5) Provide review procedures to ensure that signs are consistent with the City's objectives.
(6) Eliminate any conflict that would be hazardous between signs on private property and traffic control signs and devices.
(7) Provide a mechanism for the eventual removal of signs not complying with this chapter.
(8) Prohibit all signs not expressly permitted by this chapter.
(9) Ensure that the provisions of this Chapter do not infringe on the rights of free speech as protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, §11 of the Ohio Constitution. All Sections in this Chapter are to be construed to protect the rights of citizens to speak freely. All provisions of this Chapter shall be interpreted in a content-neutral manner excepting those narrow, legally-recognized exceptions explicitly identified in this Chapter.
(b) In establishing these purposes, the City has determined that any sign that is nonconforming, as described in this chapter, or that is nonconforming on the effective date of this chapter because it does not conform to the regulations of this, or any subsequent, amendment is a public nuisance and, as such, must be abated. Nonconforming signs are unduly distracting to motorists and pedestrians, and thereby create a traffic hazard and reduce the effectiveness of signs needed to direct the public. The regulations contained in this chapter are the minimum regulations necessary to abate the nuisance and to achieve the stated purpose of this chapter.
(Ord. 2020-21. Passed 2-18-20.)