9.6670 Central Commercial Sign Standards

9.6670 Central Commercial Sign Standards.

The central commercial sign standards are hereby created and applied to all property within the central commercial zones as set forth below. Signs are restricted in recognition of the high density usage of these areas, where pedestrian traffic is heavy and vehicular traffic is commonly limited.

(1) Corresponding Zones. The provisions of this section apply to all property not regulated by the highway commercial sign standards which is zoned C-3, to property within the S-DR Downtown Riverfront Special Area Zone, to property within the S-F 5th Street Special Zone, and to those portions of the S-RP Riverfront Park Special Zone which are not within 200 feet of the Franklin Boulevard center line.

(2) Permitted Sign Types. Signs allowed under the central commercial sign standards shall be limited to the following types:

(a) Awning signs;

(b) Digital signs;

(d) Freestanding signs;

(e) Marquee signs;

(f) Projecting signs;

(g) Readerboards;

(h) Roof signs;

(i) Under-marquee signs; and

(j) Wall signs.

(3) Maximum Number of Signs. The number of signs central commercial sign standards allow shall be limited to no more than 1 electronic message center, freestanding, readerboard, or roof sign per development site street frontage and 1 projecting sign per business occupant. The number of allowed awning, marquee, under-marquee and wall signs is not limited.

(4) Maximum Sign Area. In addition to all other standards, the central commercial sign standards shall apply the following size limitations:

(a) Freestanding, roof, and projecting signs shall be no more than 100 square feet for 1 face and 200 square feet for 2 or more faces.

(b) Awning, marquee, under-marquee and wall signs shall be less than 200 square feet per face and less than 400 square feet for 2 or more faces.

(c) The sum of the area of all signs, except under – marquee signs, shall be limited to 1.5 square feet times the number of floors in a building times the length of the building’s perimeter walls. The area of wall, marquee, awning and projecting signs shall be calculated on the basis of the wall upon which the signs are located.

(d) In any event, each development site without a building shall be allowed a maximum sign area of 50 square feet.

(5) Maximum Height. No freestanding or roof signs may be more than 20 feet in height.

(6) Special Provisions. The following signs are subject to special provisions:

(a) Theaters may use readerboard signs. On theaters, there shall be no limit on the size of the readerboard sign.

(b) Awnings, marquees and projecting signs may project over public rights-of-way. The city shall have the right to require a revocable permit under Chapter 7 of this code, unless the projections are required by EC 9.4085(7).

1. Awnings and marquees may project a maximum of 7 feet into the public right-of-way.

2. Projecting signs may project a maximum of 4.5 feet into the public right-of-way.

3. No sign may project into a public right-of-way to a point within 2 feet of the vertical plane of any street (curb face), alley or driveway.

4. No sign may project into an alley clearance area. The "alley clearance area" is the area formed by a line drawn from the intersecting point of a sidewalk or other public way and a public alley at an angle of 30 degrees from the projection of the boundary of the alley into the intersecting public way. (See Figure 9.6670(6)(b) Projecting Sign Area.)

5. No sign may project from a building at the corner of 2 streets more than 1 foot for every 5 feet of distance from the point where the building wall on which the sign is attached would intersect the curb if that wall extended to the curb. (See Figure 9.6670(6)(b) Projecting Sign Area.)