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Item 3 - Discussion re: Ammnd to Sign Ordinance Requested by Chamber of Commerce AGENDA REPORT SUMMARY TO: Honorable Mayor and Nembers of the City Council FROM: James L. Bowersox, City Man~~ ~ INITIATED BY: John O. Fitch, Assistant City Manager .. ,~ Reba Wright-quastler, Director of Planning Services~ DATE: Narch 2, 1995 SUBJECT: Discussion regarding amendments to the sign ordinance requested by the Chamber of Commerce ABSTRACT On March 15, 1994, the City Council took action to direct staff to cease enforcement of the Special Event Signage provisions of the Sign Ordinance for a year. A committee of the Chamber of Commerce has reviewed the ordinance, gathered information and made recommendations as to how it could be amended to better serve the business community. Staff has prepared a draft ordinance based on these recommendations. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW This informational report is not subject to CEQA review. FISCAL IMPACT None. ADDITIONAL PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND CORRESPONDENCF The date and time of this workshop were made known at the public meeting held February 9, 1995. No additional notification was undertaken. RECOMMENDATIO~ It is recommended that the City Council direct staff to set a public hearing to consider amending the Sign Ordinance as shown in Attachment A, ACTION E: kC I TY\PLANN I NG\REPORT\TEMP$ I GN, SUM ~AR 2 1995 ri'EM 1 of 25 CITY OF POWAY TO: Honorable Mayor and Members~o.f~.he City Council FROM: James L. Bowersox, City MaD~.~'~ John D. Fitch, Assistant City Managerq~ . INITIATED BY: Reba Wright' -Quastler, Director of Plan~ing Services DATE: March 2, 1995 SUBJECT: Discussion regarding amendments to the sign ordinance requested by the Chamber of Commerce BACKGROUND On February 15, 1994 the City Council was approached by a local businessman to request a two-year moratorium on enforcement of the special event signage provisions of the Sign Ordinance. On March 15, the Council took action to direct staff to cease enforcement of the ordinance for a year to allow a committee of the Chamber of Commerce to review the ordinance, gather information and make recommendations as to how it could be amended to better serve the business community. A Chamber task force was formed in October 1994 and continued meeting into January 1995. Ann Calvert of Pomerado Publishing chaired the committee which included Lynette Perkes of GVCA, Jim Kreifeldt of Yeti Yogurt, Jay Goldby of Rapid Signs & Graphics, Peter Zyburt of Rita's Mexican Food and Tommi Mikels of Taco Bell. Susan Callery and Mickey Cafagna were the Council representatives to the committee and Reba Wright-Quastler provided staff assistance. The committee's recommended changes to the ordinance are included as Attachment B to this report. On Thursday, February 9 a public meeting was held to present the recommendations to members of the public and business community. In addition, staff met with representatives of the Green Valley Civic Association and the auto dealers to discuss specific concerns they had. Letters of comment were received from: Teresa Clark, President of the Chamber of Commerce; the auto dealers; Lynette Perkes; and James Kreifeld. These are included as Attachments C, D, E and F to this report. Staff has prepared a draft ordinance based on the recommendations of the committee and input received after the committee made its recommendation. That recommended draft is included as Attachment A to this report. ,ACTION: 2 of 25 MAR2 1995 3 .,~ Agenda Report March 2, 1995 Page 2 FINDINGS The staff recommendation addresses the primary concerns expressed by the business community by providing greater flexibility as to when special event signage may be displayed. For retail businesses ether than motor vehicle dealerships, the draft ordinance would allow temporary signs to be displayed for 52 days per year in any increment from ] day to 52 days, rather than specifying one 15-day block and 6 5-day blocks. Businesses which are located at the back of shopping centers would benefit from a proposed provision that would allow "advertising kiosks" to be approved as part of a Comprehensive Sign Program for a center. Code section 17.40.190.B.5, which permits the approval of these kiosks includes parameters under which they may be approved including: a requirement that the kiosk be consistent in design with other signs in the center; a limitation to the same size as free-standing signs for businesses not within shopping centers; a requirement that the range of street addresses be prominently included on the kiosk; a limitation to no more than three signs per kiosk; and clarification that advertisement on the kiosk is an alternative to, not an addition to, the display of a banner. The draft ordinance establishes a separate section governing temporary signage for motor vehicle dealerships which would allow them to display one banner and either a balloon on a string under 3' long or an antenna sleeve on each vehicle. In addition, inflatables and searchlights would be allowed for off-site motor vehicle, recreational vehicle and/or boat sales events. The draft ordinance also includes regulations about the size, method of display and appearance of temporary signage which is absent in the existing ordinance. Fluorescent colors are prohibited. Banners are limited to one per business and must be "attached to the building, parallel to the walls of the business they are advertising .... mounted with all four corners secure and so that they are level, don't sag and are pulled taut into a straight line across the top with the top and bottom edges of the banner parallel to each other." They must be maintained in good condition and are limited in size depending on the width of the store front on which they are to be displayed according to a table in Section 17.40.190.B.7. Pennants, strings of lights, freestanding special events signs and inflatables are prohibited except for grand openings. Pennants and strings of outdoor lights are currently allowed for the full 45 days per year and freestanding special event signs and ground mounted inflatables are allowed for the ]5-day major promotional sale. In addition to the new aesthetic regulations, the proposed ordinance also includes more specifics concerning logging usage and enforcement. Penalty days for the unauthorized use of temporary signage are provided for. The period allowed for staff to review applications for temporary signage is reduced from 15 days to 2 working days, however. It is staff's opinion that the aesthetic controls included in the recommended draft will provide substantial additional strength to the ordinance and will result in the commercial areas of the city being more attractive. The display 3 of 2S MAR g 1995 ITEM Agenda Report March 2, 1995 Page 3 of several banners coupled with pennants, etc. by one business will no longer be allowed for even one day per year. At the same time the business community has indicated that the proposed amendments will allow the ordinance to better serve their needs. Sign ordinance provisions are always somewhat difficult to enforce and strong support from the Chamber of Commerce and the business community will be necessary to make this a truly successful effort. With that support, however, staff believes that this ordinance is enforceable and that it will result in a far more attractive commercial environment than we have been experiencing in recent years. ENVIRONHENTAL REVIEW This informational report is not subject to CEQA review. FISCAL IMPACT None PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND CORRESPONDENCE The date and time of this workshop were made known at the public meeting held February 9, 1995. No additional notification was undertaken. RECOHMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council direct staff to set a public hearing to consider amending the Sign Ordinance as shown in Attachment A. JLB:JDF:RWQ:kls Attachments: A. Draft Changes to Special Events Signage Provisions - Staff Recommendation B. Draft Changes to Special Events Signage Provisions - Recommended by Committee C. Memo to City Council from Theresa Clark D. Letter from auto dealers in Poway E. Letter from Lynnette Perkes, GVCA Representative F. Letter from James R. Kreifeldt, owner of Yeti Yogurt Company E:\CITY\PLANNING\REPORT\TEMPSIGN.AGN ~IAR 2 1995 ITEM 4 of 25 DRAFT CHANGES TO SPECIAL EVENTS SIGNAGE PROVISIONS STAFF RECOMMENDATION 17.40.015 Definitions "Banner" means any sign of lightweight fabric or similar material that is mounted to a pole or a building at one or more edges. National flags, state or municipal flags, or the official flag of any institution or business shall not be considered banners. "Flag" means any fabric, banner or bunting containing distinctive colors, patterns or symbols, used as a symbol of a government, political subdivision or other entity. "Pennant" means any lightweight plastic, fabric or other material, whether or not containing a message of any kind, suspended from a rope, wire or string, usually in series, designed to move in the wind." "Portable sign" means any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other permanent structure, or a sign designed to be transported, including, but not limited to: signs designed to be transported by means of wheels; signs converted to A- or T-frames; "sandwich board" signs; balloons used as signs; umbrellas used for advertising; and signs attached to or painted on vehicles." "Window sign" means any sign, picture, symbol or combination thereof, designed to communicate information about an activity, business, commodity, event, sale or service, that is placed inside a window or upon a window." Section 17.40.090 Exempt Si,qns. The following signs shall be exempt from the application, permit, and fee requirements of this chapter; an electrical and/or building permit may be required. Any signage in excess of the specific exemptions listed in this section is prohibited. 1. Permanent window signage not exceeding 12 square feet per business frontage and limited to the name of the business, service, or use, hours 'of operation, address and emergency information, except exposed neon tubing signs advertising 2roducts for sale on the premises,_._'" 2. Temporary advertising signage painted on the window or constructed of paper, cloth, or similar expendable material affixed on the window, wall, or building surface; provided, that the total area of such signs shall not exceed 25 percent of the window area, however, in all cases a minimum of 12 square feet per business frontage is permitted. ATTACHMENT A ~R 2 1995 ITEM 5 of 25 Special Event Signage Staff Recommendation Page 2 16. A single official flag of the United States of America and/or two flags of either the State of California, or other states of the United States, counties, municipalities or official flags for nations, and flags of internationally and nationally recognized organizations or the cor~@aoy~lag, F!ags sba!! be a ma~iraum of five fe~t by ei?t fe~t Section 17.40.190 Speeia4~,,e¢~ $~8t~ sians. ~ ~~ signs may be approved for a limited period of time as a means of publicizing special events such as grand openings, new management, sales, Christmas tree lots, parades, rodeos and fairs that are to take place within the City. A. Community special events such as attractions at the Poway Center for the Pe~orming Ads Poway Days the rodeo and street fairs ma~ be advertised o~ the community events kiosks provided by the City B. ~d:~ ~ ~ ~pfOgal: To apply for approval of ~t ~ signs, the applicant shall submit a letter to the Director of Planning Services which describes t? ~OPOSed sign~ by dates. The Director of Planning Services shall review the request within ~ ~ working days after receipt and sh~ll m~ke ~ determination to approve, approve with modification or deny the request. ~iSP:!aye~ AR2 7995 ITEM 6 of 25 Special Event Signage Staff Recommendation Page 3 e ~e~i 7 of 25 gAR 2 1995 ITEM Special Event Signage Staff Recommendation Page 4 30~q ft ~5 Sq; ft 60sq ft Consecutive Da~s 30 ~N/A Frequency 1 time I p~,~.yc=r ~ 1 / N/A season ¢~ ~ Banners ...... '¢ yes yes .... yes and balloons on strings under three (3) feet in length Strings of outdoor lights yes ~B~ ~ yes i'¢IAR 2 1995 ri'EM .3 ~,~ 8 of 25 Special Event Signage Staff Recommendation Page 5 One on-site, freestanding special event sign (~32 square feet & ~8 feet high) yes ~ ~ ~es Ground mounted inflatable adve~isin~ devices yes ~ ~ no Roof mounted inflatable no no ~ no advedisin9 devices Strings of balloons no no ~ no [Search] lights yes no ~ no Ent .......................... (teth~.~ ~u .... ~ ~ 9 of 25 I~AR 2 1995 ITEM Special Event Signage Staff Recommendation Page 6 ~ispla~ed and at a: ra~e:;~f:~ou~;:da~s.:::fO~:e~e~y: 3, E~fo~cement. signs whi~ are in~iie'd'~;~i~PiaYe8 ~ithodt the Directs[ of Planning se~viCe~: ~;~e :~;~i5~a(iS:, ;~f :~hi~ :s~¢t!o~;.;~; are subjed to issuande O~ a dtatien O~:;btS;e~:~¢t~b~t act!b~':~de~bri~ed in Chapter 17.54 of this cbde 4. Appearance and M0unti~g.::'::Eab~i~::i'd~:~(~.0the~ mate(iats :,s~d.'on batingrs ~ay not :be in fl~e~es~b:b~ the building, parallel t0;(de W~t~;::~f [~ ~!~ (bey a~e ~d~e;~i~!~g Banners may not be installed :~9;;;a;~all ~i~; all ~ses, banners shall b~ m0~le~ that they are level, den;t ~g. a~:~e;bgll~8;~'?(~::a: ~t~aight: thetop with the top and b0ttom~dges;.¢¢:~be :ba~ne~.pa(a!lel to ~each; other. 5. Maintenance. TempOra~:S!gnage:~l! be.~a ~t~in~d i~ good o0nd ti.on and shall not be frayed, faded Or ~ietY, 6. Days A owed Tempora[Y.Signag~ ma~;be' dispayed:.each:Friday Saturday and Sunday. NO tempora¢y:sigB:age:s~a.ll be alldWed:.MO~day throug ~ Thursday. · ype, of S gnage A owed :One banner.. :not to:exCeed 65 squarefe~[ in ~irea; may be displayed :and each :~ehi~le may :have either an:a~te~a a b~l.lO~n ena the antenna. D.. eft, site mbto~ ;:;~icle, rebr~atio~ai ~ehicle and/or b%~ ~aie~.e~,ts.~: ikfla?btes (eltO? ::t~(~(bS' or meu~edOn the ground)and S~ecial lighting (i,clud!,g:Se~r~light~) ~ay.be ~isp ayed; a[ ~he off-site I°catio~,::i~ addi~io~ t~::do~ma[ tempo~a~:.~ig~g'~: :~h S spesfal event signage may ~t b~ diSp!~d:f0~m6~e t~a~ fou(;~s Per eye0t. 10 of 25 ~IAR g 1995 ITEM · ' Special Event Signage Staff Recommendation Page 7 17.26.030 Temporary uses listed The following temporary uses o~,,~u .,,.,,..ply A. Circuses, carnivals, rodeos, parades or similar outdoor entertainment or enterprises, subject to not more than five calendar days of operation in any calendar year. Requests exceeding these time limitations will require the submittal and approval of a conditional use permit. Approval of such events shall require City Council action. B. Christmas tree sales lots, Halloween pumpkin sales, and other holiday sales subject to not more than forty calendar days of site occupation and operation in any calendar year. Religious, patriotic, historic, or similar displays or ext~ibi.ts within yard, parking areas, or landscaped areas, subject to not more than ~v~!~eight calendar days of display in any calendar year; E-D Outdoor art and craft shows and exhibits, subject to not more than three calendar days of operation or exhibition in any sixty calendar day period; FIE. Outdoor display and sales located within commercially zoned properties not to exceed m~-e-t-~qa~ five calendar days in any sixty calendar days and subject to appropriate conditions of the Planning Services Department; IH. Seasonal retail sale of agricultural products (fruit and vegetable stands) for periods of less than ninety days, Jf said products are raised on the premises; Ki. For any agricultural or animal husbandry activity or project (4-H, FFA, or similar) conducted for educational purposes or school credits, a permit may be granted in any district when the Planning Services Director determines that such use will not cause a public nuisance relative to sanitation and.health conditions; Special events, such as horse shows, at a commercial stable when authorized by the conditional use permit or minor conditional use permit; 11 of 25 ~'~IAR 2 1995 ~TEM Special Event Signage Staff Recommendation Page 8 Charitable or school sponsored dropoff bins for recycling of cans, newspapers, or similar items, for dropoff of clothes and small items. Bins shall be located in the parking lots of businesses within the CG or CN zones when written permission is granted by the property owner or business owner. The bins shall be kept in a neat and orderly manner; N~. Charitable special events, including fundraising tours in residential neighborhoods and craft fairs and similar events in residential neighborhoods, shall be limited to a two-day duration and no more than twice per year. Written notification of adjacent property owners shall be required prior to the event; ,JM. Temporary use of properly designed mobile trailer units for classrooms, offices, banks, etc. for periods not to exceed ninety days subject to minor development review. Requests for such uses of more than ninety days in duration shall require the approval of a conditional use permit by the City Council. Such units shall meet all necessary requirements of building, fire, and health codes; FN. Contractors' offices and storage yards on the site of an active construction project; GO. Mobile home residences for security purposes on the site of an active construction project; Subdivision sales offices and model home complexes located within the subdivision, subject to the following minimum requirements: 1. Offices shall be no closer than one vacant lot to an existing dwelling unit not part of the subdivision, trailers may be used for no more than ninety calendar days or until such time as the subdivision sales offices have been completed, whichever is less; 2. An A.C. paved parking lot shall be provided with sufficient parking spaces to accommodate said use; 3. Offices shall be allowed for a maximum of two years or until ninety percent of the homes within the subdivision are sold whichever is less. Annual review for compliance with conditions of approval may be required. 4. Faithful performance bonding in an amount appropriate to guarantee removal and/or conversion of the sales office and attendant facilities shall be required; and ].2 of 25 MAR 2 1995 Special Event Signage Staff Recommendation Page 9 5. Other conditions that the Director of Planning Services deems necessary to assure that the sales office will not constitute a nuisance or be objectionable to the residential uses in the neighborhood. MQ. Temporary sheltering of homeless persons by qualified churches or synagogues. Sheltering periods shall be limited to two-week durations, no more than twice per year and at no closer than three-month intervals. Qualified churches and synagogues are defined as those possessing a valid conditional use permit. The following guidelines shall apply: 1. Only twelve individuals may be sheltered at any given time by a participating institution; 2. Maximum length of stay within the program is limited to six weeks total, two weeks maximum at each church; 3. Homeless persons shall remain on church property only during the hours of five p.m. to eight a.m. and must be supervised by church personnel during those hours; pR. Additional uses determined to be similar to the foregoing in the manner prescribed by Section 17.02.040 of the zoning development code. C:\CHAMBER3.SGN 13 of 25 DRAFT CHANGES TO SPECIAL EVENTS SIGNAGE PROVISIONS Recommended by Committee 17.40.015 Definitions "Banner" means any sign of lightweight fabric or similar material that is mounted to a pole or a building at one or more edges. National flags, state or municipal flags, or the official flag of any institution or business shall not be considered banners. "Flag" means any fabric, banner or bunting containing distinctive colors, patterns or symbols, used as a symbol of a government, political subdivision or other entity. "Pennant" means any lightweight plastic, fabric or other material, whether or not containing a message of any kind, suspended from a rope, wire or string, usually in series, designed to move in the wind." "Portable sign" means any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other permanent structure, or a sign designed to be transported, including, but not limited to: signs designed to be transported by means of wheels; signs converted to A- or T-frames; "sandwich board" signs; balloons used as signs; umbrellas used for advertising; and signs attached to or painted on vehicles." "Window sign" means any sign, picture, symbol or combination thereof, designed to communicate information about an activity, business, commodity, event, sale or service, that is placed inside a window or upon a window." Section 17.40.090 Exempt Signs. The following signs shall be exempt from the application, permit, and fee requirements of this chapter; an electrical and/or building permit may be required. Any signage in excess of the specific exemptions listed in this section is prohibited. 1. Permanent window signage not exceeding 12 square feet per business frontage and limited to the name of the business, service, or use, hours of operation, address and emergency information, except exposed neon tubing signs advertising products for saleon the premises, .~,.. ....... ~"'~ "~ 2. Temporary advertising signage painted on the window or constructed of paper, cloth, or similar expendable material affixed on the window, wall, or building surface; provided, that the total area of such signs shall not exceed 25 percent of the window area, however, in all cases a minimum of 12 square feet per business frontage is permitted. 14 of 25 ATTACHMENT B [~IAR 2 1995 ITEM Special Event Signage Draft Changes 2/2/95 Page 2 Section 17.40.190 Saecial event sions. Special event signs may be approved for a limited period of time as a means of publicizing special events such as grand openings, new management, sales, Christmas tree lots, parades, rodeos and fairs that are to take place within the City. A. Community soecial events such as attractions at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts, Poway Days, the rodeo and street fairs may be advertised on the community events kiosks provided by the City B. Commercial special events such ~s .... '" .... ~"'"~ r.~..;..+~.~........ ,~+~ .....~ ~:i?~:: ~::?:~.;:~i:.~::~i~i~ii To apply for approval of special event signs, the applicant shall ~i~ ~ letter to the D rector of Panning Services which describes i~~i~:~:~;ii~Li~?~ the proposed sigd~ by means of a sketch di' biay dates. The Director of Planning Se~ices shall review the request within '~ "'''~''~ .... ........ :~9 working days - ~" ~'-~ ~*~-~-~*'~ *~ approve, approve with after receipt and ~h .......... ~ ................... modification or deny the request. 99s ITEM 15 of 25 Special Event Signage Draft Changes 2/2/95 Page 3 16 of 25 MAR g 1995 Special Event Signage Draft Changes 2/2/95 Page 4 Christmas : Tree LOtS Grand Promotional &Pumpkin Openings Sales S ..,...~' patches Consecutive Days 30 Frequency I time ~, ~, season ~ ~Banner~ ...... + ..... yes ......... ~ .......... yes yes and balloons on strings under three (3) feet in length Strings of outdoor lights yes "~ ~ ~ ~:~ .... yes One on-site, freestanding special event sign ~32 square feet & %8 feet high) yes ycS~ no yes Ground mounted inflatable adveAising devices yes yc~ ~ no Roof mounted inflatable no no ~ no adve~ising devices Strings of balloons no no ~ no [Search] lights yos no ~ no J¥IAR2 1995 ri'EM .3 17 of 25 Special Event Signage Draft Changes 2/2/95 Page 5 Ichristmas, ., ,,.~, Tree Lo s ;P-cmct[cn=l ~ & Pumpkin Grand Promotional ~ub to ..... j ..... ~. ...... ,-,.,.~ ...... ~' ,.,~.;--~- ..... ;-'-'~ '""";"" *~*" ~" '~; .... fcra '"""' on days..,., '~' '":"".. ,u E:\CITY~PLANNING\PLANDIR\CHAMBER3,SGN f~IAR 2 1995 18 of 25 Memorandum ' To: Poverty CiO: Council: Mayor Don Higg~n, on~ DepuO~ Mayor Su~an Callery, 0~ Councilman Bob Emery, Councilman Michael Cafagna, Councilwoman Betty Rexford From: Teresa Clark, President, Poway Chamber of Commerce Date: 02/22/1995 Subject: .~doption of proposed amendments to special events signage regulations The Poway Chamber of Commerce would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks for the assistance provided by City Planner, Ms. Reba Wdght-Quastler to the Poway Chamber of Commerce Special Event Signage Task Force. Without her tireless research efforts, dedication to Task Force members and flawless articulation of the complex issues on the signage agenda, we would not have been able to build a prototype that represents a fair minded sign ordinance amendment for all concerned. Ms. Quastler represents the City of Pow'ay as a business-friendly partner and we, at the Chamber, are pleased to have her input on this extremely difficult issue. Ms. Ann Calvert, who chaired the signage taskforce has represented the concerns of our Chamber members dudng Task Force discussions and is in agreement with Ms. Wdght-Quastler that the proposed amendment offers the best arrangement for all concerned. I encourage the City Council to recognize the many hours of hard work incurred by Ms, Calvert, Ms. Quastler, and all the taskforce members. This time has been invested because this is truly a monumental issue for our business customers at the Chamber of Commerce, The Chamber of Commerce is an advocate for business in our community and we accept the responsibility of ensuring that your business constituency is adequately represented, Ms, Calvert and the Poway Chamber of Commerce business members support the proposed sign ordinance amendment without further delay. I understand that at this time, the Poway auto dealers have submitted a request to meet with City staff and explore the feasibility of designing a '%vaiver" and/or "special considerations" for their unique situation as franchised business owners. Auto dealers represent a substantial portion of the City's sales tax collection and I encourage continued discussions between the auto dealers and City staff to recommend a proposal to the City Council regarding their unique signage needs. Thank you for your consideration regarding the above. Sincerely, -; R E C E IV E D Teresa Clark President F E B 2 7 1995 CC: Ann Calvert CITY OF POWAY CITY MANAGERS OFFICE 19 of 25 ATTACHMENT C t~iAR 2 1995 ITE~ 5 . ~ Ritchey-Fipp I-HEVI' OLET February 16, 1995 Reba Wright-Quastler City of Poway P. O. Box 789 Poway, Ca 92074-0789 Re: Sign Ordinance Dear Reba, In a recent meeting with all the auto dealers in Poway the current sign ordinance as well as the proposed ordinance was reviewed and in our opinion neither one is workable for the auto dealers. The reason our facilities are on Poway Road and not Carriage or Holland or Midland Road is because Poway Road is far more visible and has more traffic than any other road in Poway. It is a loud message to all of the businesses on Poway Road that the City and the people who reside here do not want us here if we can not effectively market our goods and services to those people who travel Poway Road. We request the new sign ordinance be revised to include the following: 1. Balloons, Banners and Antenna Masts every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 2. They are to be removed Monday thru Thursday. 3. Special event inflatables 4 times a year. A max of four days each event. Most of this will be at off-site sales. 4. Special Lighting (Searchlights, Etc. Permit only, special off sight sales.) ATTACHMENT D I~IAR 2 1995 IT~J'~J ,~ 13742 Poway Rd., Poway, CA 92064 (619) 748-9600 FAX (619) 748-6724 20 of 25 pg. 2 Re: Sign Ordinance 5. Window painting without reguard to area used in the months of March, April, September, October and December. An addition to these five items we would request the city to review the possibility of pole banners by permit only, which gives the city the power to approve the quality of these signs and banners. If we had the pole banner provision the car dealers would not need other banners at all. I know what you are up against and there is no way to satisfy everyone but I believe the City must take a stand to support Poway businesses and send a message to all that the City of Poway and the people who live here all need for the local businesses to succeed or in the end the very people who complain about us the most will be the ones to cry the loudest about how to get more money for their services. Reba, you are a strong person and the City is lucky to have quality people working for it and this is clearly a challenge for you. Good Luck and if we can help please call. Sincerely, ~wight Ritchey ~, //Jerry//Richardson Floward Abel General Manager President President Ritchey-Fipp Chev. Richardson Pontiac, Olds Poway Ford- Buick & GMC General Manager General Manager Cush Toyota, Mazda Poway Chryster, PLymouth Jeep, Eagle & Volkswagen cc: Don Higganson Susan Callery Mickey Cafagna Bob Emery Betty Rexford 21 of 25 To: The Poway City Council From: Lynnette Perkes, GVCA Representative to The Chamber of Commerce Special Event Signage Task Force I thank the Chamber of Commerce for inviting The GVCA to participate in the task force. North Poway residents have a vital stake in the health of our business community, as do all Poway residents, since a large proportion of our city's operating budget comes from sales tax and tax on commercial property. And North Poway shares the interest of all Poway residents in making downtown Poway an attractive place to shop. There are several items in the proposal that I support wholehearteldly. I support the controls on size, location and color of signs, and the restrictions on balloons, and pennants, and free-standing signs. I support the proposed penalties for violations, and believe a loss of sign days would be a more effective deterrent than fines. The advertising kiosks are difficult to support--they would add clutter no matter how well executed--but I recognize the problem faced by those merchants whose businesses have poor visibility from the road and I do think they need help. It's unfortunate there's no better solution on the table. In any case, the kiosk plan, as proposed, is so non-specific you have no idea what you might be buying into. Before you vote on it, there are a number of things I think must be spelled out. I suggest the .following: (1) A promotional sign in a kiosk should be an alternative to, not an addition to, a banner on a storefront. (2) Kiosks shoul~ be a uniform, city-approved design in order to keep the additional visual clutter to a minimum. (4) The kiosks should be no taller or larger overall than the monument signs. (6) No more than four signs should be permitted per kiosk. (5) The signs in the structure should be on a rigid backing. (7) At the top of each kiosk there should be a display of the highest and lowest street numbers contained in the center. The core of the committee's proposal is the increase in the number of days when promotional banners are allowed, combined with the dropping of any restrictions on when 22 of 25 ATTACHMENT E ~AR 2 1995 ITEM signage days can be used. ! believe the adverse effects of this feature would far outweigh all the benefits in the proposal. The current ordinance allows each business forty- five days of banners a year, 9rouped into seven "promotional sales" events. The proposal before you would allow 52 days of banners (plus 30 days for grand openings) with the days to be used one at a time or in any combination. On the average weekend, literally half of the businesses in Poway could be hanging promotional banners under this proposal. It's argued that not all businesses would use the privilege. Yet if only half of 300 businesses used their 52 days for weekend promotions there could be 76 promotional banners up and down Poway Road on the average weekend. It's true that not every business sprouted banners, after the city suspended enforcement of the current ordinance-- though I counted twenty-five, one weekday in November without even driving the full length of Poway Road. I believe there would have been far more than that, if most merchants had realized they now had carte blanche. There were four Poway Road merchants on the task force, and three of the four said they were not aware of the council's action (the fourth was the owner of the Chieftain). Mrs. Wright- Quastler, our advisor remarked that the amount of signage we were seeing probably didn't represent the maximum signage people wanted to use, since obviously the word hadn't gotten around the business community that enforcement had been suspended. (Since no minutes and no actual votes were taken there is no official record of this or of anything else the task force did) In fact, the whole process has been remarkably free-form. The proposal before you is not even the ordinance the task force proposed. The task force proposed an ordinance which would have required that weekend displays go up on Friday afternoon and come down on Monday morning. We did so because Mrs. Wright-Quastler, convinced us that one day displays on weekends wouldn't work--that unless banners went up and came down on weekdays, when staff was available to record the fact, there would be no effective way to control cheating. This provision disappeared after the task force disbanded, after a meeting between the planning director and some merchants. The proposed law now allows one-day displays on weekends, and Mrs wright-Quastler assures us that the honor system, plus occasional spot checks on weekends by staff, plus new penalties, would control cheating. I believed her the first time. I don't think the city could enforce this ordinance. Consider the volume of staff work it would add. Under the current ordinance, there are just seven special events 23 of 25 applications to process per business per year, and seven Z ITEM put-up and take-down dates to monitor. Under this proposal, that could go up to 52 applications to process per business --a process that includes checking for size and placement compliance-- and 52 put-up and take-down dates which must be monitored on site, including weekends. No funds are provided for new staff. The city has never been able to police the current sign ordinance effectively, yet we are asked to believe it can carry out this vastly more voluminous job with no new funds or personnel. The Poway Road we inherited from the county was a scruffy hodgepodge of billboards, giant signs, rotating buckets of chicken and flashing neon. The effort to clean it up--to impose some order and design--has been underway for fifteen long years, with the final large, non-conforming signs coming down just months ago. Now here we are being asked to make a U turn, to sabotage the design standards we have tried to set, through a law that would allow banners to be plastered on half the businesses in town every weekend. Of course Poway road has special problems. Of course our businesses need help. No-one disputes that a banner can help a single business attract attention and out-shout its neighbors, or that this can increase its sales. The question is, what happens when all the neighbors try to do the same? At what point does everybody's message get lost in the general visual clamor? And at what point does the public reject the whole tacky atmosphere and go looking for a more attractive shopping venue--to Carmel Mountain Ranch, for instance, where only thirty days of banners are allowed per year? We've seen absolutely no proof that looser restrictions on temporary signage are correlated to increased sales tax revenues to a city. None. Until we have persuasive evidence to this effect, I think it would be a terrible mistake to re-uglify our city, after all the time, effort and money we have spent to make it more competitive by making it more attractive. ldA . 2 99S ITEM 24 of 25 To: The Powsy City Council February 27, 1994 Having been an active participant in the Special Event Sinage Task Force, ! believe that on the whole the group worked very well through many issues. Ann Calvert did an outstanding Job of running the meetings as well as recognizing the participants perspectives and concerns. Reba Wright-Quastler also did an outstanding Job of supporting the many requested pieces of data and presentations with absolutely no complaint. Several of the presentations were in direct response to some of the concerns of but one member. There was obviously differing views expressed through the process as might be expected. When finished, ! felt that although some may not have gotten all of what they may have wanted in the process, we had addressed & common understanding of the needs of the membership represented. The purpose of any team or task force is to reach a consensus through group participation and together support the final results. ! thought we did that, but apparently this was not fully supported and bought into. ! have been made aware that a task force member, hynette Parkas, has taken it upon herself to independently express her views in a letter directly to the City Council on this matter. ! take great exception to this move and think it is not only unconscionable but, counterproductive to the task force effort. The purpose of having representation of someone from the ~VCA was to incorporate their views and work with common purpose on the issues of the group as a whole. Lynette has totally destroyed my trust in her as a team member. She has taken the attitude that by not getting everything her way through the group, she will plead directly to the council. This is childish. ! am willing to work through the process we have embarked on and am not going to independently express my views in letter form to you now. We have scheduled a workshop with the Council, which ! think is the right path to collectively discuss the issues. ! continue to support the effort and will abide by the results. I do ask one thing of the Council though, please totaly disregard the letter submitted by Lynette Parkas. Lynette obviously is not a team player, is single minded, and does not speak for the group which tried desperately to consider her views and gave many hours of their time to work the issues. !t is unfortunate Lynette did not learn from the experience, as she has no clue whatsoever of what it takes to run a business in Poway. I personally do not consider Lynette a part of the task force as a result of her action. Thank you for your consideration in this matter. /~ectfully, --;~ames R. Krel~eldt 'Owner, Yeti Yogurt Company cc Ann Calvert, Special Event Sinage Task Force cc Poway Chamber of Commerce MAR 2 1995 ITEM 25 of 25 ATTACHMENT F GREEN '- ,LLEY CIVIC ASSOC -,TION ...... ~ ~:: ,~, ,~ ~,~ ...... ~ ~ Serving All North Poway Neighborhoods February 27, 1995 Poway City Council tlA~' P.O. Box 789 Poway, CA 92074 Dear Mayor Higginson and Council Members: The GVCA appreciates being invited to participate in the consideration of possible changes to the "Special Events" section of Poway's Sign ordinance. We believe this subject is important to the financial health and quality of our City. The comments set forth below pertain to the proposal from the Director of Planning Services dated February 8, 1995. These comments represent the views of Dr. Tarzy and the GVCA Board of Officers. They do not necessarily represent the views of Mrs. Perkes who was appointed to represent the GVCA on the Chamber of Commerce Task Force and who may commu- nicate her personal opinions to you separately. It should not be necessary to state that the opinions expressed below originate with the GVCA's strong desire to improve the appeal of Poway as a place to shop and to see in- creased sales tax revenues through a more successful Poway business community. 1. Sion sizes. Location. and Tvoe a) We support the proposed changes which control size, location and types of signs. They represent an improvement and, if enforced, should have the effect of diminishing the negative visual impact of individual sales promotional displays. b) The proposal to permit the installation of a permanent structure to display a limited number of temporary, standard-size promotional signs is attractive as a way to address the visibility problem faced by merchants located at a considerable distance from the Road. However, we believe the ordinance should spell out certain additional provisions as follows: (1) display of promotional signs in the structure should be an a/ternat/ve, not an addition, to other displays at or on the building. (2) the "temporary" signs placed in the structure should be required to be printed on a rigid backing, (3) at the top of each sign there should be a display of street numbers contained in the center, and (4) all permanent sign structures should conform to a standard, City-approved design. Their uniformity will make them recognizable as an established source of information for shoppers and will avoid adding to the multiplicity of sign types. MAR 2 1995 ITEM Poway City Council February 27, 1995 2. N~Jml~er Qf promotional Events and Days The combined impact of the proposed increases in both the number of allowed "Promo- tional Sales" and total number of days per year of such events is not apparent at first glance. The current ordinance allows a maximum of 7 "promotional sales" events per year (excluding grand openings). Because the proposed ordinance sets no limit on the number of such events, it would allow 52 promotional events per year per merchant. Obviously, those merchants seeking this large increase in the number of permitted events expect to take advantage of this liberalization. We believe that adoption of this provision would result in a sharp increase in the number of one and two day sales promotions. Furthermore, we expect that as more displays would appear initially, competition for the attention of shoppers would lead many more merchants to use promotional banners, etc. If only 25% of 300 merchants were to use all of their 52 days for two-day weekend displays, under the proposed ordinance, on average there would be 38 promotional displays of banners and/or balloons every weekend. It seems to us that with this frequency of sales promotions, the title "Special Events Signage" for this section of the ordinance would no longer be appropriate. We believe the potential negative impacts of the combination of the proposed increase in number of allowed days plus the seven-fold increase in the number of allowed "special event" displays outweigh the potential benefits of the proposed restrictions of type, size, and location of signs. Also, we question the argument that the number of promotions and days should be increased as a trade off for requiring more appealing types and sizes of signs. If it is concluded that the proposed restrictions of types and sizes of signs are beneficial, they should be implemented irrespective of the permitted number of days or special events. The fundamental purpose of any commercial sign ordinance is to avoid excessive and unattractive signage which would have the effect of diminishing shopping appeal and sales. We believe the numbers of promotional events and days allowed for special events by the existing ordinance, when enforced, provide a good balance between special promotions and control of sign clutter. We could support the proposed liberalization if there were a strong probability that an increase in sales will result. However, we believe the arguments that the proposed increases in promotional displays will result in decreased sales are more persuasive than those to the contrary. It is our observation that there is a positive correlation between the property values of retail areas and their relative levels of signage control. For example, merchants in the Carmel Mountain Ranch shopping area are permitted only 30 days of special events banners. Since the value of retail properties generally corresponds to the volume of sales revenues generated by the properties, a positive correlation between the level of signage restrictions and sales revenues is strongly implied. This correlation is consistent with our intuitive conviction that changes to the sign ordinance which add more banners and other displays to our already confus- ing shopping frontages will depress sales rather than increase them. Lacking evidence to the contrary, we believe it would be ill advised to embark on any liberalization which 2 MAR g 1995 ITEM Poway City Council February 27, 1995 could jeopardize the significant and costly improvements which have been achieved on Poway Road by buying a "pig in a poke". We are well aware that the configuration of Poway Road is quite different than shopping areas such as Carmel Mountain Ranch and presents its own special problems. To a large extent the marketing problem results, more than anything else, from a number of underly- lng problems including Poway Road's "strip" configuration and its excess of retail space. The preparation of a Poway Road Specific Plan was authorized by City Council in recognition of the fact that, if Poway Road is ever to become a successful retail area, basic and major changes will be required. The plan, as now written, is designed to enhance the attractiveness and competitiveness of Poway Road as a place to shop, eat, and otherwise spend money. It is significant that it proposes comprehensive changes designed to further diminish the haphazard and confusing look which is exacerbated by Poway Road's "highway oriented" configuration. We find any move toward more banners and displays along the length of Poway Road to be a contradiction of that goal. If, notwithstanding our arguments against the proposed increases in the number of promotional displays, the City decides to adopt them, we believe the following provi- signs/revisions should be adopted concurrently to reduce the potential for detrimental effects: a) Experience shows that without strict enforcement, an ordinance which seeks to regulate sales promotion displays will become worthless. If adopted and advertised to the business community, we believe the permitting of up to 52 separate days of banner/balloon promotions per year per merchant will require a large number of inspections if the ordinance is to be enforced. It will require almost daily inspections of the sizes, locations, condition, and types of signs, plus counting in the field the start- and stop-times of displays at a large number of separate merchant "promotions" located along the length of Poway Road and in Poway's other retail areas. Therefore, we believe that enforcement could consume a number of employee hours far in excess of what the existing code enforcement staff can provide. To offset the added costs of administering and enforcing this complex ordinance, those merchants choosing to participate in the proposed special events program should be charged an annual "Sales Promotion Fee". The purpose is not to discourage participation in the program, but the fee should be large enough to be significant. Merchants not wishing to participate in the new program would be allowed the 45 days and 7 events allowed in the current ordinance without paying a fee. b) The proposal to allow one-day events on any day of the week including Saturday or Sunday will either seriously jeopardize effective enforcement of the ordinance or will substantially increase the cost and difficulty of enforce- ment. We feel that special events should not be permitted to end or begin on Saturday or Sunday and that weekend events should be required to 3 ~IAR 2 1995 ITEM 3 Poway City Council February 27, 1995 extend from noon on Friday to noon on Monday. However, if the proposal to allow promotions to start or stop on Saturday or Sunday is adopted, the unavailability of City inspectors on weekends means that on those days mer- chants will be "on their honor" to conform to the regulations. We suggest that the City formalize a policy of conducting random, unannounced inspec- tions on weekends and that the policy be advertised. c) The earlier proposal to allow weekend events to begin on Friday noon but not to count the extra half day against the 52-day total not only would have added up to 13 days per year of special-events signage for each merchant, but also would have been unfair to those who find it more effective to use their days for weekday promotions. On behalf of the GVCA and its members, I want to express our appreciation for this opportunity to present our views on this important subject. We want very much to see an increase in sales tax revenues in Poway as all citizens of our community will benefit. Sincerely, President cc: Ms. Reba Wright-Quastler Lynette Perkes Bruce Tarzy 4 MOTOR VEHICLE DEALERS CURRENT COMMITTEE STAFF ORDINANCE PROPOSAL RECOMMENDATION DAYS PER 45 52 156 YEAR (Friday noon to Monday 8:00 am equals 2 days) DAYS AT A 6 times 5 unlimited Fri, Sat, Sun TIME 1 time 15 (may not begin or end on only weekend) PENALTIES citation 2 for 1 reduction 2 for 1 reduction FOR weekdays VIOLATION court action citation 4 for I reduction weekends court action citation court action BANNERS unlimited number 1 per business 1 per business no appear, regs no fluorescent no fluorescent attached to bldg. attached to bldg. no size restriction parallel to wall parallel to wall all corners secure all corners secure level, taut level, taut good condition good condition size per table 65 sq. ft. PENNANTS grand openings grand openings only grand openings only LIGHTS & grand openings grand openings only grand openings INFLATABLES 1 time 15 days off-site events ANTENNA Yes Yes Yes SLEEVES C:\DATA\SIGNS3.TBL RETAIL COMMERCIAL CURRENT COMMITTEE STAFF ORDINANCE PROPOSAL RECOMMENDATION DAYS PER 45 52 52 YEAR (Friday noon to Monday 8:00 am equals 2 days) DAYS AT A 6 times 5 unlimited unlimited TIME 1 time 15 (may not begin or end on weekend) PENALTIES citation 2 for 1 reduction 2 for 1 reduction FOR weekdays VIOLATION court action citation 4 for 1 reduction weekends court action citation court action BANNERS unlimited number 1 per business 1 per business no appear, regs no fluorescent no fluorescent attached to bldg. attached to bldg. no size restriction parallel to wall parallel to wall all corners secure all corners secure level, taut level, taut good condition good condition size per table size per table PENNANTS & grand openings grand openings only grand openings only GROUND MOUNTED 1 time 15 days INFLATABLE ADVERTISING no provision allowed for shopping allowed for shopping KIOSKS centers as part of CSP centers as part of CSP C:\DATA\SIGNS2.TBL Dear City Council Member: I want to encourage you to support the proposed revisions to the City's Special Events Signage Provisions prepared by a task force of the Poway Chamber of Commerce. I think the changes are essential to ensure a viable Poway business commu- nity and to show good faith to Poway's merchants that the Council is con- cerned for our economic well-being. An attractive business center for the city is as important to businesses as it is to the city's residents. I think the revisions provide adequate protection of the city's ambiance while allowing businesses to make a reasonable profit. Please show your concern for Poway's businesses by voting in favor of the revisions. Yours truly, ~~Richardson Richardson, Buick, Pontiac, Olds, & GMC Dear City Council Member: I want to encourage you to support the proposed revisions to the City's Special Events Signage Provisions prepared by a task force of the Poway Chamber of Commerce. I think the changes are essential to ensure a viable Poway business commu- nity and to show good faith to Poway's merchants that the Council is con- cemed for our economic well-being. An attractive business center for the city is as important to businesses as it is to the city's residents. I think the revisions provide adequate protection of the city's ambiance while allowing businesses to make a reasonable profit. Please show your concern for Poway's businesses by voting in favor of the revisions. Yours truly, Kent Parrish Cush Toyota Dear City Council Member: I want to encourage you to support the proposed revisions to the City's Special Events Signage Provisions prepared by a task force of the Poway Chamber of Commerce. I think the changes are essential to ensure a viable Poway business commu- nity and to show good faith to Poway's merchants that the Council is con- cerned for our economic well-being. An attractive business center for the city is as important to businesses as it is to the city's residents. I think the revisions provide adequate protection of the city's ambiance while allowing businesses to make a reasonable profit. Please show your concern for Poway's businesses by voting in favor of the revisions. Yours truly, Howard Abel Poway Ford