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El Request for Action <br /> River <br /> To Item Number <br /> Planning Commission 4.3 <br /> Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by <br /> Public Hearing November 12,2013 Zack Carlton,Planning Intern <br /> Item Description Reviewed by <br /> Sign Ordinance Amendment OA 13-02 Jeremy Barnhart, Deputy Director CODD <br /> Reviewed by <br /> Chris Leeseberg,Park Planner-Planner <br /> Action Requested <br /> Recommend,by motion, adoption of the ordinance as drafted. <br /> Background/Discussion <br /> Last year, the Chamber of Commerce approached the City with a request to review and amend as <br /> necessary the sign ordinance with the goals of making the ordinance easy to understand, clear in its <br /> direction, and address areas where the business community felt at a disadvantage with other communities. <br /> These areas primarily included wall sign area,billboards, and temporary signage. <br /> The proposed sign ordinance balances the needs of the business community with the goals of the city as a <br /> whole. The ordinance,as drafted,provides an overall increase in available signage for businesses, <br /> improves readability, and clarifies a variety of sign types. Many businesses will be permitted to increase <br /> their net signage and convey their advertising messages at a larger scale. Downtown businesses specifically <br /> gain additional portable signs,larger temporary signs,monument signs, digital changeable copy signs, and <br /> the elimination of height and area maximums for wall signs. <br /> Recommendations Received <br /> Staff received a number of comments and recommended changes during the amendment process and has <br /> included,in whole or part, a number of the changes. The following is a summary of the recommendations <br /> staff received. <br /> Chamber of Commerce <br /> Recommended changes from the Elk River Chamber of Commerce include: <br /> • Permitting freestanding signs in the downtown district. <br /> • Using percentage as limiting factor for wall signs (15%recommended). <br /> • Permitting billboards in the CRT district and removing the principle use clause. <br /> • Expand digital changeable copy regulations. <br /> • Remove restrictions on temporary signs during road construction. <br /> Downtown River's Edge Business Association <br /> The Rivers Edge Business Association provided the city with suggested changes to the sign ordinance, as <br /> they pertain to the downtown zoning district: <br /> • Increase maximum wall sign from 32 square feet to 15% of facade area. <br /> P O W E R E D B y <br /> NATURE <br />