8. Sign ordinance - Staff memo to PC 11.5.19
Memorandum
To:
Scandia Planning Commission
Reference:
Sign ordinance – potential
amendments
Copies To: Ken Cammilleri, City
Administrator
Brenda Eklund, City Clerk
Project #: 17123.000
From: Merritt Clapp-Smith, Planner
Date: October 25, 2019
SUBJECT: Proposed amendments to Sign standards – Section 3.13 of Chapter 2
of the Development Code of the City of Scandia
MEETING DATE: November 5, 2019
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In recent months, the City of Scandia has received a number of complaints about illuminated
signs on the inside of storefront windows. The City Council requested that the Planning
Commission review the city’s sign ordinance and consider amendments that might better
manage the visual impacts of signage. The city’s current sign ordinance exempts interior signs
from the sign standards. The Council has asked that this be reconsidered.
In addition to the interior signs exemption, the Council suggested a few other standards for
consideration. These include:
• the appropriate size for signage along roadways
• limitations on sign lighting that projects into the sky
• limitations on illuminated signs at night
On the following pages are a few potential sign ordinance changes for the Planning Commission
to consider and discuss.
Scandia Planning Commission
November 5, 2019
Potential Amendments to Sign Standards
Page 2 of 7
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 3.13 OF CHAPTER 2
OF THE DEVELOPMENT CODE OF THE CITY OF SCANDIA
PERTAINING TO SIGNS
3.13 Signs
(1) Applicability. The regulations contained herein apply to all exterior signs and do not apply to
illuminated or backlit interior signs painted, attached by adhesive or otherwise attached
directly to or visible through windows and glass portions of doors.
(2) Permit Required. Except as otherwise provided in this Development Code, no sign shall be
erected, constructed, altered, rebuilt or relocated until an Administrative Permit or Conditional
use permit as may be required for the sign has been issued. Application for a permit shall be
accompanied by the established fee.
No permit will be required under this Development Code for the following signs:
(A) Signs up to ten (10) square feet in area.
(B) Noncommercial Signs that comply with Minnesota Statutes 211B.045 or successor
statutes.
(C) Signs placed on parcels that are currently offered for sale providing such signs are
not closer than 10 feet to any property line and shall not exceed ten (10) square feet
in area. One sign shall be permitted for each street frontage.
(D) Signs erected on parcels that are currently under construction for single-family or
multiple-family residences. The plat of the development shall be recorded with the
Washington County Recorder prior to the erection of a sign. Signs are subject to the
following standards.
1. Such signs shall not exceed one hundred (100) square feet in area.
2. Only one (1) such sign shall be erected on each road frontage with a maximum of
three (3) such signs per project.
3. Such signs shall be removed when the project is eighty percent (80%) completed,
sold or leased.
4. Such sign shall be located on the property which is for sale. Off-site development
project signs are prohibited.
Rationale: Lit signs within windows have a similar impact as exterior signs and therefore
should be regulated as such.
Scandia Planning Commission
November 5, 2019
Potential Amendments to Sign Standards
Page 3 of 7
5. One sign shall be allowed for each street entrance to a parcel currently under
construction. The sign shall not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet per surface
and no sign shall have more than two surfaces. The sign shall not exceed eight
(8) feet in height.
If the work authorized under a sign permit has not been completed within six (6) months after
the date of issuance, the permit shall become null and void.
(3) Signs by Conditional Use Permit. Where a use is permitted in a zoning district by Conditional
Use Permit, the sign for that use shall require a Conditional Use Permit unless the sign is
otherwise provided for in this Chapter.
(4) General Standards.
(A) Signs located in the Village Mixed Use (VMU A and B),Village Neighborhood (VN),
and Rural Commercial (R COMM) Districts shall be reviewed for compatibility with
the Scandia Architectural Design Guidelines, as applicable.
(B) No sign may be erected that, by reason of position, shape, movement, color or any
other characteristic, interferes with the proper functioning of a traffic sign or signal or
otherwise constitutes a traffic hazard; nor shall signs be permitted which would
otherwise interfere with traffic control.
(C) All signs, other than public utility warning signs, are prohibited within a public right
of way.
(D) Backlit or illuminated signs are permitted in all districts, and shall be diffused or
indirect so as not to direct rays of light onto any public right-of-way, or adjacent
residential property, or toward the sky. No backlit or illuminated signs or their
support structures shall be located closer than twenty-five (25) feet to any roadway
surface or closer than ten (10) feet to a road right-of-way line, notwithstanding more
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ictive portions of this section.
(E) LED (light-emitting diode) luminaires, or other energy-saving luminaires, may be
used in backlit signs, illuminated signs or other signs permitted by this ordinance.
(F) Flashing signs and animated signs (also called Dynamic Display signs) shall be
prohibited. Signs giving off intermittent, rotating, or direct light, which may be
confused with traffic, aviation, or emergency signaling, are also prohibited.
(G) One (1) wall sign shall be allowed for each street frontage on a building for each use
located within such building. The total area of all wall signs affixed to a building wall
shall not exceed twenty percent (20%) of the total area of that wall. No individual
wall sign shall exceed one hundred and fifty (150) square feet.
Rationale: This type of language supports making sign lighting Dark Sky friendly.
Scandia Planning Commission
November 5, 2019
Potential Amendments to Sign Standards
Page 4 of 7
A wall sign shall not project more than eighteen (18) inches from the wall to which the
sign is to be affixed. Wall mounted signs shall not exceed the roof line on any
building. Wall signs located in the Village Mixed Use (VMU A and B), Village
Neighborhood (VN), and Rural Commercial (R COMM) Districts shall be reviewed
for compatibility with the Scandia Architectural Design Guidelines.
The City Council may approve the placement of murals on building walls that exceed
the standards for wall signs.
(H) Signs shall not be painted on a fence, tree, or other object in any district.
(I) Roof signs are prohibited in all districts.
(J) All signs and displays using electric power shall have a cutoff switch on the outside of
the sign and on the outside of the building or structure to which the sign is attached.
(J)(K) Illuminated or backlit signs shall be turned off between the hours of
10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. in the Agricultural Preserves, Agricultural Core, General
Rural, Village Neighborhood, and Lower St. Croix River Corridor Overlay Districts.
(K)(L) Multi-faced signs shall not exceed two (2) times the allowed square
footage of single faced signs.
(L)(M) Except for more restrictive parts of this Chapter, no sign that exceeds
one hundred (100) square feet in area shall be erected or maintained:
1. Which would prevent any traveler on any road from obtaining a clear view of
approaching vehicles on the same road for a distance of five hundred (500) feet.
2. Which would be closer than one thousand three hundred fifty (1,350) feet to a
national, state or local park, or historic site.
3. Which would obstruct more than fifty (50) percent of the view of a lake, river,
rocks, wooded, area, stream or other point of natural and scenic beauty.
(M)(N) Any sign for which a permit is required but no permit has been
issued shall be taken down and removed by the owner, agent or person having the
beneficial use of the building, or land upon which the sign may be found within thirty
(30) days after written notice from the Zoning Administrator.
(N)(O) Any sign which is abandoned or becomes structurally unsafe or
endangers the safety of a building or premises or endangers the public safety, shall be
taken down and removed or structurally improved by the owner, agent or person
having the beneficial use of the building, structure or land upon which the sign is
located within ten (10) days after written notification from the Zoning Administrator.
Rationale: The commercial nature of lit signs can be considered incompatible with
more rural and residential areas of the community.
Scandia Planning Commission
November 5, 2019
Potential Amendments to Sign Standards
Page 5 of 7
(O)(P) If the work authorized under a sign permit has not been completed
within six (6) months after the date of issuance, the permit shall become null and void.
(5) Signs in Agriculture – Core (AG-C), Agriculture Preserves (AP), General Rural (GR) and
Village Neighborhood (VN) Districts.
(A) The maximum area permitted for a single sign shall be 200 10 square feet per surface.
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three signs that meet this requirement are allowed per parcel.
(B) No sign shall be so constructed as to have more than two (2) surfaces.
(C) Noncommercial signs shall conform to Minnesota Statutes 211B.045.
(D) The top of the display shall not exceed ten (10) feet above grade.
(E) Any sign over two (2) square feet shall be setback at least ten (10) feet from any
property line. In no case shall any part of the sign be closer than two (2) feet to a
vertical line drawn at the property line.
(F) The following types of signs are not permitted in the AG C, AP, GR and VN Districts:
1. Animated signs
2. Awning signs
3. Canopy signs
4. Flashing signs
5. Portable signs
6. Pylon signs
7. Pennants
(6) Signs in Village Mixed Use - A (VMU-A), Village Mixed Use – B (VMU-B), Rural
Commercial (R-COMM) and Industrial Park (IP) districts.
(A) Noncommercial signs shall conform to Minnesota Statutes 211B.045.
(B) The total square footage of permanent sign area for each lot shall not exceed one (1)
square feet of sign area for each lineal foot of building front. No sign shall exceed two
hundred (200) square feet in area.
Rationale: 200 square feet is allowed in the denser and more central zoning districts. It
makes sense to allow at least the same square feet in the districts where signs will mostly
be seen from cars that are passing at typically faster speeds than in the central districts.
Scandia Planning Commission
November 5, 2019
Potential Amendments to Sign Standards
Page 6 of 7
(C) Each business or organization may display one temporary or portable sign (including
sandwich-board signs) in addition to the area of permanent signs permitted. The
temporary sign shall not exceed forty (40) square feet in size, and shall be permitted
for a period of no more than thirty-four (34) consecutive days. No permit is required
for one temporary or portable sign.
(D) The top of a monument sign shall not exceed eight (8) feet above the average grade.
(E) Any sign over six (6) square feet shall be setback at least ten (10) feet from any
property line. In no case shall any part of a sign be closer than two (2) feet to a vertical
line drawn at the property line.
(7) Shopping Center Signs.
(A) Shopping Centers or buildings containing more than one (1) tenant are allowed one (1)
monument sign which may contain the names of all tenants in the project. Individual
tenants may be identified by way of signs attached to the building. The total square
footage of sign area may not exceed the limits set forth in Section 6(B) above.
(B) Signs shall in no case project from a building or structure to any point within two (2)
feet of a line drawn perpendicularly upward from a curb line. No projecting sign shall
be less than nine (9) feet above the sidewalk or the ground level. All projecting signs
for which a permit is required shall be constructed entirely of fire resistant material.
(8) Off-Premises Signs
(A) Up to two multi-tenant off-premises signs (one for each roadway direction) may be
permitted near the intersections of Olinda Trail North and TH 97, Oakhill Road
North and TH 97, Manning Trail North and TH 97, TH 95 and TH 97, and Oakhill
Road North and TH 95, within the VMU A and VMU B Districts Scandia. The sign
may be a monument sign or freestanding directional sign.
(B) The City Council shall grant a Conditional Use Permit for any off-premises sign.
When the applicant is any person other than the owner of the property, the owner of
the property shall also sign the application. The application shall contain the
following information:
1. Name, address and telephone number of the property owner, sign owner, and
erector.
2. Proposed location of the sign structure, including property identification number
and address.
3. Scaled drawing showing the position of the sign structure in relation to the
property lines, nearest buildings, structures, public streets, and rights-of-way.
4. Plans, specifications, materials, and method of construction or attachment to the
ground or a structure, including all dimensions, all construction materials, a
description of al light sources, wattage, types and color of lights, and details of
light shields.
Scandia Planning Commission
November 5, 2019
Potential Amendments to Sign Standards
Page 7 of 7
5. Any electrical permit required for the sign.
6. If the sign is proposed within the right-of-way of a state or county highway, the
applicant shall obtain any required permits and provide a copy of the approved
permit to the City.
7. Other information as required by the city.
(C) Off-premises signs shall be compatible with the Scandia Architectural Design
Guidelines.
(D) In addition to the above application, an agreement must be entered into with the city
which will authorize and direct the city to:
1. Remove at the expense of the owner, the sign and sign structure, where
maintenance is required, but not furnished after a hearing and a 10-day notice to
the owner specifying the maintenance required by the city.