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Request for Action <br /> River <br /> TO ITEM NUMBER <br /> Planning Commission 5.1 <br /> AGENDA SECTION MEETING DATE PREPARED BY <br /> Planning Commission October 8, 2013 Zachary Carlton,Planning Intern <br /> ITEM DESCRIPTION REVIEWED By <br /> Review of Draft Sign Ordinance Chris Leeseberg,Park Planner-Planner <br /> REVIEWED BY <br /> Jeremy Barnhart,Deputy Director, <br /> CODD <br /> Action Requested <br /> Recommend,via motion adoption of the ordinance as drafted. Alternatively,the Planning Commission <br /> may continue action on the item or deny all or part of the proposed changes to the sign ordinance. <br /> Background/Discussion <br /> Late last fall, the Chamber of Commerce approached staff with the goal of reviewing the sign ordinance. <br /> Recognizing several years had passed since a comprehensive sign review, staff supported the request, and <br /> the Council agreed. <br /> With these recommendations, staff has prepared a draft ordinance that adequately balances the needs and <br /> desires of the business community and the community at large. <br /> In general, the draft ordinance attempts to establish a standardized format for each district specific <br /> section and address the readability and clarity of certain sections. <br /> Chamber Recommendations <br /> Wall Sign Area <br /> The recommendation from the Chamber of Commerce is to use a percentage of the wall space as a <br /> limiting factor for sign size. Using a percentage of wall area balances building and sign size, allowing <br /> larger businesses more signage. <br /> Staff agrees with this technique for calculating sign area. The Chamber recommended 15 percent as the <br /> limiting factor. Staff felt that 15 percent was too large, allowing signs that are out of scale with the <br /> building. Staff spent considerable time evaluating the appropriate ratio, attempting to balance the need to <br /> communicate with the community character. Based in this research, staff recommends five percent as the <br /> limiting factor for wall sign area. <br /> Freestanding Signs <br /> The Chamber recommends allowing pylon,monument, or freestanding signs for buildings with multiple <br /> tenants in the downtown district. Additionally, staff met with the downtown business group to discuss <br /> their interest in freestanding signs in the downtown district. The group desires freestanding signs in <br /> downtown to promote businesses and community events. The downtown group has recommended <br /> N:\Departments\Community Development\Planning\Case Files\OA\OA 13-02 Sign Ordinance\SR Review of the Sign Ordinance.docx <br />