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5.1 PCSR 05-23-2017Request for Action ver To Item Number Planning Commission 5.1 Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by General Business May 23, 2017 Chris Leeseberg, Senior Planner Item Description Reviewed by Downtown Sign Ordinance Amendment Zack Carlton, Planning Manager Reviewed by Action Requested Direct staff to take an ordinance amendment to the City Council, by motion, amending the sign ordinance to permit signage above the stringcourse in the Downtown District (DD). Background/ Discussion Staff had discussions about a potential sign on the Granite Shores building in the DD in late January. The City Council reviewed this topic at their workshop on May 15, 2017, and directed staff to permit signage above the stringcourse in the downtown zoning district. The ordinance permits one wall sign on each primary and secondary facade below the stringcourse. Signs are limited to one square foot per one linear foot of unit width. Unit width means the measurement of an implied facade, or leased space. The desire of Granite Shores is to have a sign on the east side of the building above the stringcourse. The intent of the downtown district and design standards was to preserve this distinctive character with the appearance that there are multiple buildings (unit widths) which are distinctly different from one another yet allows a uniform mass of building with the appearance of vertical separations. The intent of the downtown district signage was to fit with the character, proportions and scale of the individual building (unit width) and complement, rather than compete with, the character of downtown. The signage goals at the time were to provide signage in scale with a pedestrian environment, not advertise in a manner that draws people off of Highway 10, thinking of downtown as the destination. Staff is supportive of this change because with original intent and designs standards of DD have not been achieved. This is neither good nor bad, but the city now has a different downtown fabric to work within than previously envisioned. The larger scaled buildings, both in size and appearance, now function as large commercial buildings and signage should be adjusted to accommodate this. Attachments Zoning Area Exhibit Proposed Ordinance Language Narrative p0WIHE0 sr I Is ZONING LOCATION U 10110U3 U U� U �C� ST UV W Case # OA 17 -07 U �I 4t MISSISSIPPI RI\ /ER Al Agricultural Conservation AR Agricultural Research R1a Single Family Residential R1b Single Family Residential R1c Single Family Residential R1d Single Family Residential R2a Two Family Residential R2b Two Family Residential R3 Townhouse /Multiple Family Res. R4 Multiple Family Residential — Alk PUD Planned Unit Developement PP Business Park FD-D-1 Downtown District MU -ERP Mixed Use - Elk River Plaza CRT Commercial Reserve Transition C1 Central Business District C2 Office District C3 Highway Commercial C4 Community Commercial 11 Light Industrial UU SITE N 14 0L 12 Medium Industrial 13 General Industrial FAST FAST (subzones A -1) Extreme Commercial Recreation SWF Solid Waste Facility AT Antenna Overlay District (Tower) FOpen Space Preservation (cluster) ME Mineral Excavation Overlay District Urban Service Area - - - -- Wild and Scenic River District Propose Language Sec. 30 -873. - DD downtown district. (a) Temporary signs as permitted in section 30 -851 et seq. (b) Permanent signs. Signs should be designed to fit with the character, proportions and scale of the individual building and should complement, rather than compete with, the character of downtown. (1) One wall sign shall be allowed on each primary facade and on one secondary facade. One square foot of wall sign per one linear foot of unit width shall be allowed, and shall not project out more than eight inches. a. Wall signs shall not extend above the roofline of an adjoining building or- be liigher- fhffi the (2) One monument sign is permitted for each multi- tenant facility. a. Sign height shall be limited to one -half the average height of the primary structure, not to exceed 20 feet. b. Sign area, as measured in square feet, shall be limited to one -third of primary structure width, measured at the widest point parallel to the building address street, and shall not exceed 80 square feet. (3) One projecting sign shall be allowed on each primary facade, provided that: a. The sign does not exceed six square feet in area, shall not project perpendicularly more than four feet from facade and shall not be thicker than six inches. b. The projecting sign projects out perpendicular from facade. C. Projecting sign and structural elements are not lower than eight feet from the sidewalk, nor higher than the bottom of the sill of the second floor windows. d. The brackets and structure for projecting signs shall be ornamentally designed. (4) One portable sign is permitted per public entrance, and only one Sign may be displayed per facade. a. Two -sided portable signs (sandwich boards) may not exceed five feet in height, and six square feet in area. Such signs are only permitted during business hours, must be located in front of the business it identifies, and shall not obstruct pedestrian traffic nor impede vehicular traffic. b. Portable signs (sandwich boards) shall be set back a minimum of two feet from the back of curb of parking areas, public streets, or private drive aisles. (5) With the exception of individual letters and digital changeable copy signs, only externally illuminated signs are allowed. (6) Aside from a date and name stone not exceeding three square feet, no signage shall be placed within the parapet panel area. (c) Changeable copy signs as permitted in section 30 -864. (d) Prohibited signs: Back -lit signs (excluding individual letters), molded plastic cabinet signs, smooth /flat plastic signs and signs with strobe lights, flashing elements or distracting actions. (Ord. No. 09 -06, � 2, 7 -20 -2009; Ord. No. 13 -19, � 2, 12 -16 -2013) Editor's note— Section 2 of Ord. No. 13 -19, adopted Dec. 16, 2013, renumbered and amended former 30 -872 as 5 30 -873. Page 1 NARRATIVE* After working with staff since January'17 on a proposed wall sign (electronic message board) for Granite Shores, per staff's direction, we submitted a CUP application for a digital wall sign on April 17, 2017. Upon submitting the CUP, staff returned the application to us, indicating that per City Code, wall signs were not permitted above the "stringcourse" in the Downtown Zoning District (DD) and provided the option to submit an ordinance amendment to accommodate our request. Current code is below: Elk River City Code Sec. 30 -873. - DD downtown district. (a) Temporary signs as permitted in section 30 -851 et seq. (b) Permanent signs. Signs should be designed to fit with the character, proportions and scale of the individual building and should complement, rather than compete with, the character of downtown. (1) One wall sign shall be allowed on each primary facade and on one secondary facade. One square foot of wall sign per one linear foot of unit width shall be allowed, and shall not project out more than eight inches. a. Wall signs shall not extend above the roofline of an adjoining building or be higher than the bottom of the stringcourse. Further, the Elk River City Code defines stringcourse as: Stringcourse means an area /band that is located at the second floor line separating the lower facade from the upper facade. It shall be created with a reveal and /or change in the brick pattern (i.e. a soldier course). The image provided to depict stringcourse in the City's Code appears to be an older, one - tenant, 2- story, "historic looking building ", identifying the stringcourse as the area between the 1St and 2nd floor of a structure. Upon observance of the current downtown buildings, we noticed that there were numerous 2- story buildings which already had an existing wall sign above the stringcourse as currently defined in Elk River City Code. Granite Shores, is the only newer 2+ story building that doesn't *Please note, while this OA is proposed for the entire downtown district, we also want to ensure our proposed wall - sign for Granite Shores fits within the current code; should staff become aware of another portion of the code which prohibits the sign as proposed, we ask staff work with us to update the code for relevance throughout this process. have a wall sign above the city- defined stringcourse. Looking at surrounding cities, it is common practice for newer 2+ story buildings to exhibit wall signs above the 1" floor, especially when the building has visibility to roads with higher traffic counts (i.e.: HWY 101, HWY 10, etc.) Additionally, the universal definition of stringcourse does not depict which floors the architectural element is between, simply describes the appearance of the architectural element. We are kindly asking staff, Planning Commission and Elk River City Council to consider amending the current, outdated definition of stringcourse, as well as amending the code to reflect and permit signage necessary for Granite Shores, existing and future 2 +story buildings downtown to thrive. Should all parties be supportive of a staff -led ordinance amendment, we would like this process to run in conjunction with the review of Granite Shores' CUP that was initially submitted in April to avoid further delays in the project. Attached you will find images of existing wall signs in Elk River, located above the city- defined stringcourse, examples from surrounding cities, and a variety of universal definitions for stringcourse. We appreciate your time and consideration of this matter. *Please note, while this OA is proposed for the entire downtown district, we also want to ensure our proposed wall - sign for Granite Shores fits within the current code; should staff become aware of another portion of the code which prohibits the sign as proposed, we ask staff work with us to update the code for relevance throughout this process. ELK RIVER *Please note, while this OA is proposed for the entire downtown district, we also want to ensure our proposed wall - sign for Granite Shores fits within the current code; should staff become aware of another portion of the code which prohibits the sign as proposed, we ask staff work with us to update the code for relevance throughout this process. All above images are located in the Downtown District zoning, with the exception of Spikes (located in the 'downtown' per the EDA downtown Microloan policy and Mississippi Connections plan). *Please note, while this OA is proposed for the entire downtown district, we also want to ensure our proposed wall - sign for Granite Shores fits within the current code; should staff become aware of another portion of the code which prohibits the sign as proposed, we ask staff work with us to update the code for relevance throughout this process. 11ii� All above images are located in the Downtown District zoning, with the exception of Spikes (located in the 'downtown' per the EDA downtown Microloan policy and Mississippi Connections plan). *Please note, while this OA is proposed for the entire downtown district, we also want to ensure our proposed wall - sign for Granite Shores fits within the current code; should staff become aware of another portion of the code which prohibits the sign as proposed, we ask staff work with us to update the code for relevance throughout this process. ARBOR LAKES, MAPLE GROVE BIG LAKE — HWY 10 *Please note, while this OA is proposed for the entire downtown district, we also want to ensure our proposed wall - sign for Granite Shores fits within the current code; should staff become aware of another portion of the code which prohibits the sign as proposed, we ask staff work with us to update the code for relevance throughout this process. ROGERS — HWY 101— DAVANNI'S PIZZA DOWNTOWN ST. CLOUD *Please note, while this OA is proposed for the entire downtown district, we also want to ensure our proposed wall - sign for Granite Shores fits within the current code; should staff become aware of another portion of the code which prohibits the sign as proposed, we ask staff work with us to update the code for relevance throughout this process. Finally, after researching numerous definitions of stringcourse, we found the universal definition does not depict its location as related to specific floors of a building, but simply touches on the appearance and /or building material. Based upon existing signage placement in downtown Elk River, surrounding communities, and the universal definition of stringcourse, we are proposing the following changes to Section 30- 873 of the Elk River City Code: Sec. 30 -873. - DD downtown district. (a) Temporary signs as permitted in section 30 -851 et seq. (b) Permanent signs. Signs should be designed to fit with the character, proportions and scale of the individual building and should complement, rather than compete with, the character of downtown. *Please note, while this OA is proposed for the entire downtown district, we also want to ensure our proposed wall - sign for Granite Shores fits within the current code; should staff become aware of another portion of the code which prohibits the sign as proposed, we ask staff work with us to update the code for relevance throughout this process. (1) One wall sign shall be allowed on each primary fagade and on one secondary fagade. One square foot of wall sign per one linear foot of unit width shall be allowed, and shall not project out more than eight inches. Wall signs shall not extend above the roofline of an adjoining building. Furthermore, we'd ask staff, the Planning Commission, and City Council to re- define stringcourse as: A horizontal band or course, as of stone, projecting beyond or flush withthe face of a building , often molded and sometimes richly carved. Below are a variety of definitions per Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia, Dictionary.com and Glossary of Medieval Art & Architecture for comparison purposes: stringcourse I architecture I Britannica.com https: / /www.britannica.com /technology /stringcourse Jul 20, 1998 - Stringcourse, in architecture, decorative horizontal band on the exterior wall of a building. Such a band, either plain or molded, is usually formed of brick or stone. Course (architecture) - Wikipedia https: / /en. wikipedia .org /wiki /Course_(architecture) A string course or band course is a thin continuous projecting course of brickwork or stone (typically of complementary or where near - white, of matching color) that runs horizontally around a building, typically to emphasize ceiling height and thus the junction between floors. Stringcourse www.dictionary.com [string - kawrs, - kohrs] Word Origin noun, Architecture. 1.a horizontal band or course, as of stone, projecting beyond or flush withthe face of a building, often molded and sometimes richly carved. Glossary of Medieval Art and Architecture stringcourse: A continuous projecting horizontal band set in the surface of a wall and usually molded. *Please note, while this OA is proposed for the entire downtown district, we also want to ensure our proposed wall - sign for Granite Shores fits within the current code; should staff become aware of another portion of the code which prohibits the sign as proposed, we ask staff work with us to update the code for relevance throughout this process.