6.6. SR 07-17-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Case File: 0:\ 06-06 Page 2 Overview The City Council is becoming concerned with the frequency, the number of and duration of the temporary signs being placed around the City of Elk River. Staff began cross referencing the signs that ~vere installed witll d1.e permits pulled and found that a majority of the signs did not ha\.re permits, \vere up too long and/ or \vere in the wrong locations. Staff has revie\ved a fe\v otller ordinances of adjoining communities and our current allowed time frame is one of the longest allowed: ~ Elk River Big Lake Ramsey Otsego Ivfaple Grove # of Days 90 days 60 days (42) 7 days @ a time 21 days 10 days # of Permits 6 permits No Limit 6 permits No Limit 1 permit Staff has drafted an ordinance addressing tlle concerns with the temporary signs and includes changes as listed: o 30 days per calendar year ~lS. 90 days currently permitted o 3 permits per year to a premise vs. 6 permits currently permitted o Sign must be located on an appro\red surface \rs. lO-feet from property lines o Only signs for City functions can be placed on City property Staff is recommending that three (3) permits per year not to exceed 30 days in a calendar year be allowed. This would cover all temporary signs such as wall mounted banners and freestanding trailer SignS. Staff is also recolmnending that temporary signs be located on an approved surface as it easier for staff to determine acceptable locations because tlle location of the property lines on site are usually not kno\vn. TIle recommendation for only allowing signs advertising City functions on City property is to avoid the possible issues of fairness and equal opportunity. Staff does not want to ha,\re to be placed into a position to decide which non-profit organizations can place a sign on City property. It is recommended that only City functions be placed on City properties to preserve fairness and equal opportunity. Tllere are a few other minor llousekeeping issues with signs that staff would like to discuss. One is that Section 30-866 references "construction signs" three times with three different allo'.ved sizes. Staff is recommending that one size of construction sign be allo'\ved, but not require a permit, as the location of the sign can be clarified at site plan review. Currently only signs under 64 square feet are exempt from a permit. A second item '\vould be the fee '\ve cIlarge for sign permits. Currently we charge different fees for different sized signs, but the staff time is typically not that different for small or large signs. Staff S:\PLA1"'JNING\Case Files\2006\OA \OA 06~06 Signs\OA 06-06_CC.doc