(a) Sign Review Board, Organization, Powers and Duties.
(1) A Sign Review Board is established to review proposed signs pursuant to the standards and requirements of this chapter. The Board shall consist of five persons, and shall be constituted as follows:
A. Two members shall have experience in a design-related field including architect, graphic artist, interior designer, landscape architect or manufacturer of signs.
B. One member shall be an operator of a business located in the City.
C. The remaining two (2) members appointed to the Board shall be residents of the City.
D. One of the members appointed in subsections (a)A., or B., shall also be a resident of the City.
Members shall be appointed for four (4) year terms by the Mayor. The Chief Building and Zoning Inspector, or designee, shall serve as an advisor to the Sign Review Board.
(2) The Sign Review Board. The Sign Review Board shall review sign applications for compliance with the design and construction criteria set forth in Section 1163.11 and:
A. Shall have the power to review and approve, or disapprove, the following signs, except for signs on lots in historic districts, which shall be reviewed by the Design Review Board without being subject to review by the Sign Review Board:
1. Permanent building signs greater than six (6) square feet,
2. Permanent window signs,
3. Permanent freestanding signs greater than eight (8) square feet.
B. Shall, at the request of the Chief Building and Zoning Inspector, review:
1. Permanent building signs less than or equal to six (6) square feet,
2. Permanent window signs,
3. Permanent freestanding signs less than or equal to eight (8) square feet,
4. Entrance signs,
5. Temporary signs for uses other than single family and two-family dwellings,
6. Instructional signs.
(3) The Board shall meet not less than twice a month, and shall adopt rules and procedures for the conduct of its meetings.
(4) The Board shall deny or approve a sign application within twenty-one days from the meeting at which the application was received by the Board. If the Board has not so acted, the sign application shall be considered approved unless the time for a decision has been mutually extended by the applicant and the Board.
(5) The Board shall appoint a secretary at the first meeting of the calendar year by a majority vote of the full membership of the Board.
(6) Requests for variances from the zoning requirements for signs shall be reviewed and approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 1109.09.
(b) Signs Not Requiring Permit. Temporary signs for single-family and two-family dwellings shall be permitted without a permit provided that the sign complies with all applicable regulations of this chapter.
(c) Application Requirements. An application for a sign permit shall be filed with the Building and Zoning Inspector. Each application shall include two drawings or photos depicting the actual colors of the building and sign and shall be eight and one half by eleven inches and suitable for reproduction. The application shall present the sign in a manner which best illustrates how the sign shall be viewed by the public after it is erected on the site. Specifically, the application shall include:
(1) A complete building sketch or photograph showing the location of the sign and its relationship to the building, the site, the adjacent parcels and parking lots, drives and sidewalks;
(2) Detailed drawings showing the design of the sign, including size, content, style of lettering, logo and other graphic features, colors of the applied lettering and background, and materials of the sign and the frame or structure; and
(3) Construction, erection or fastening details.
(d) Review Procedures.
(1) The Building and Zoning Inspector shall review the application submitted pursuant to subsection (c) hereof to assure that it complies with all applicable numerical and submission standards of this chapter.
A. If the Building and Zoning Inspector determines that the proposed sign does not comply with the requirements of this chapter it shall be disapproved by the Building Inspector and returned to the applicant with a statement setting forth the areas of noncompliance.
B. When the Building and Zoning Inspector finds that the application does satisfactorily comply, then the application shall be presented to the Sign Review Board for consideration.
(2) The application shall be received by the Building and Zoning Inspector a minimum of seven (7) days prior to the next scheduled regular or special meeting of the Sign Review Board. If the application is not received at least seven days in advance, consideration of the application shall then be deferred until the next regular meeting of the Board or, at the discretion of the board, a special meeting scheduled.
(3) The Sign Review Board shall review the sign for compliance with all applicable provisions of this chapter.
A. Upon approval of an application by the Sign Review Board, the Building and Zoning Inspector shall issue a sign permit within three (3) business days, provided that the proposed signs(s) comply with all other applicable regulations.
B. If the sign application is disapproved by the Sign Review Board, the Board shall convey its reasons for disapproval to the applicant, in writing, within five (5) days. The Board, may suggest modifications which, if incorporated by the applicant, could bring the sign into compliance with this chapter.
(e) Board of Zoning Appeals.
(1) Actions of the Sign Review Board or the Building and Zoning Inspector, related to this chapter may be appealed to the Board of Zoning Appeals in compliance with Section 1109.08.
(2) The Board of Zoning Appeals may extend the time for removal of a nonconforming sign as required by Section 1163.14(b)(1) for a period which is the lesser of the remaining depreciable life of the nonconforming sign or five (5) years. Any such extension shall be subject to the criteria for granting variances set forth in Section 1109.09. In determining the depreciable life of a nonconforming sign, the Board may consider the depreciable life determined by the owner of such sign, but may also consider other standard accounting principles.
(Ord. 2020-21. Passed 2-18-20.)