AGENDA #9
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Land Use Management Ordinance Text Amendment – Changeable or Moveable Signs Outside of the Town Center Zoning Districts
DATE: September 11, 2006
PURPOSE
The enactment of Ordinance A or Ordinance B would modify the Land Use Management Ordinance to allow changeable/moveable signs (aka sandwich boards) in other areas of Town in a similar manner allowed for businesses in the downtown’s Town Center zoning districts.
We recommend that the Council take no action.
BACKGROUND
A Public Hearing was held on June 19, 2006, to consider a text amendment to the Land Use Management Ordinance in response to a petition from business owners along East Franklin Street. The petition proposed to modify the Land Use Management Ordinance to allow changeable/moveable signs in other areas of Town in a similar manner allowed for businesses in the downtown’s Town Center zoning districts. A copy of the June 19 memorandum is provided as Attachment 3.
We have identified three options for the Council’s consideration regarding changeable/moveable signage outside the Town Center, which are discussed in detail below.
1. Enactment of Petitioners’ Request - Expand sandwich board use to other commercial areas.
Ordinance B would grant the petitioner’s request by allowing changeable/moveable signs in the Neighborhood Commercial and Community Commercial zoning districts with the same regulations in place for the Town Center plus these additional criteria:
· Streets with speed limits 35 mph or lower;
· Permit required;
· Signs may be displayed during business operating hours only; and
· Not displayed on the public right-of-way without an encroachment agreement.
Comment: An argument for allowing increased signage is that it would provide businesses an opportunity to attract potential customers.
We have identified several concerns regarding this option:
· There is a potential for an increase in visual clutter along the streetscape;
· The signage would most-likely be intended to attract the attention of drivers in vehicles detracting from traffic safety objectives.
We believe that the current sign provisions regarding ground signs, projecting signs, and wall signs are more appropriate methods for attracting vehicles.
2. Planning Board Recommendation - Expand sandwich board use to commercial areas with sidewalks on both sides of a road and speed limits no greater than 25 mph.
Ordinance A is the Planning Board’s recommendation that the use of sandwich boards be expanded to include areas in the Community Commercial, Neighborhood Commercial, and Mixed Use zoning districts with the same regulations in place for the Town Center plus these additional criteria:
· Streets with speed limits 25 mph of lower;
· Sidewalks on both sides of the street; and
· Signs may be displayed during business operating hours only.
Comment: The proposed amendment would have little effect on the Town Center zoning districts, as the speed limits downtown are all 25 mph or lower. We are aware of one location downtown that does not currently have sidewalk on both sides of the street, at the 200 block of West Rosemary Street. With respect to the Town Center, the regulations proposed by the Planning Board would limit sandwich board displays to business operating hours.
An argument for allowing this increased signage is that it will provide businesses an opportunity to attract potential customers.
However, we have identified several concerns regarding this option:
· There is a potential for an increase in visual clutter along the streetscape;
· This option would allow sandwich board signage in areas such as Willow Drive at University Mall where the speed limit is 25 mph, but would not allow such signs on Raleigh Road at Glen Lennox where the speed limit is 35 mph.
3. Make No Changes - Keep regulations the same.
This option would make no changes to the Town’s current regulations. Sandwich board signage would continue to be allowed in the downtown.
Comment: We are concerned about both the aesthetic implications and the traffic safety implications if the use of sandwich board type signage is expanded outside the downtown. We believe the proposal would adversely impact the streetscape.
ISSUES RAISED
The Council requested that the staff return with more information on the items addressed below:
1. Research of Other Communities
A Council member asked if information could be provided about this type of signage in other communities.
Comment: A survey of how other communities regulate sandwich boards was presented to the Planning Board on May 2, 2006, and is attached to this memorandum (Attachment 2). The survey shows that there is considerable variation on how to regulate sandwich boards.
2. Prevalence of Sandwich Board Signage
Council members inquired as to whether there are any statistics as to the percentage of businesses likely to utilize sandwich boards.
Comment: The number of sandwich boards displayed in the Town Center varies by time of day, day of week, and season. We do not have information about the likely participation of business owners should the regulations change.
3. Pedestrian-Oriented Terminology
Concern was expressed by Council members about the use of the term “pedestrian-oriented” in the Planning Board recommendation, Ordinance A. Council members pointed out Chapel Hill’s goal of the entire Town being pedestrian-oriented.
Comment: Instead of using the term “pedestrian-oriented” to delineate areas with a significant number of pedestrians, we recommend that this objective be addressed by including a provision, for areas outside the Town Center that required sidewalk on both sides of a street. This revised provision describes the desire to allow sandwich board signage in areas that will use the sandwich boards to attract walking customers rather than driving customers.
4. Map Areas with Speed Limits At or Below 25 mph Adjacent to Commercial/Mixed Use/Town Center Zones
A Council member requested maps which identify 25 mph speed limit areas.
Comment: Attached to this document are maps showing locations along 25 mph or less roadways adjacent to Commercial/Mixed Use/Town Center zoning districts. The green segments indicate roads that may be eligible to display sandwich boards according to the Planning Board recommendation, Ordinance A.
5. Limit Letter Sizes
A Council member suggested establishing limits on letter sizes might help alleviate concerns about visual clutter.
Comment: The Town could establish a maximum letter size to encourage sandwich boards to be intended for pedestrians. If Ordinance A or Ordinance B is enacted, the following standard could be added:
· That letters displayed on the sign not be greater than 3 inches.
The 3-inch standard is currently provided in the general limitations section of the ordinance as a measure for computing display surfaces (Section 5.14.5(d)).
RECOMMENDATIONS
Planning Board Recommendation: The Planning Board reviewed the proposal on May 2 and June 6, 2006, and voted 9-0 to recommend approval of Ordinance A. As noted above, the Revised Ordinance A replaces the term “pedestrian-oriented” with a standard for sidewalk on both sides of a street.
Manager’s Recommendation: We recommend that the Council make no change to the changeable/moveable sign regulations of the Land Use Management Ordinance. We believe the proposal would provide visual clutter and detract from traffic safety objectives.
If the Council desires to make a change to the sign regulations, we recommend that the Council enact the Planning Board recommendation, Ordinance A.
ATTACHMENTS