Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCarmel Sign Ordinance Chamber Comments 12-06-11 • C T ce.. (,Q , w 22 November 2011 Carmel Sign Ordinance Chamber Comments The Chamber's involvement with the sign ordinance rewrite is predicated on our belief that strong businesses make strong communities. One needn't look far to find myriad examples of the impact business development has had, and continues to have, on our city's quality of life. While Carmel's businesses understand the importance of regulation—they are not lobbyists for billboards— signage is a crucial part of their ability to market themselves and to assist their clients and customers in finding their company or store. Consequently, from the beginning, our four major goals have remained: 1. Make the ordinance business-user friendly. 2. Make it clear and simple so as to avoid subjectivity, inconsistent decision-making • and allow businesses to more easily obtain signage. 3. Make the process easier and quicker by allowing approval from the Department of Community Services when signs'that comply with the ordinance are submitted. 4. Make the'playing'fteld reasonably level, so that businesses in one area of the city have similar opportunities of those in others. The Chamber's areas of disagreement with the proposed ordinance fall into one or more of those major tenants and are listed below. • 25.07.01-03 Administration'and Enforcement, Letter D o Recommend deletion or simplification. It says you cannot put up a sign or tell someone else to do so without a permit from DOCs. Why not say that? • 25.07.01-06 Prohibited Signs, Letter C o Recommend change to simply state that off-premise signs are illegal. o Letter E — Defmitions of flashing, blinking, animated or audible. This intent here appears to be to prohibit all electronic signs, excepting when used by the city. The definition is difficult to follow. Two things to consider: One, the technology is changing rapidly; for example, drive-through menus are being replaced by electronic menus to allow for changes. They don't flash and they will not create a driving hazard..One way signs and other traffic signals are also using technology to allow for changes throughout'the day(one way at certain times; two-way others, etc.). o Letter L—Recommend change to "It is prohibited to-utilize a vehicle to function Solely as a sign;" or something similar. We believe'this to be too detailed, unnecessary and difficult to enforce (measuring 150 feet?). • 25.07.01-07 Legal Non Conforming Signs, Letter'A o While we agree with the spirit and intent of this, it's been part of the current ordinance for some time and has not been enforced due, as we understand it, to the amount of administrative work associated with it. Our belief is to either actually do what the ordinance.says, or remove it from the ordinance. • 25:07.02-04 Multi-Tenant Buildings— Letter B, 1 (a) o This is the first of many requirements in the ordinance that allow one sign, in this case a ground sign, per street Frontage. We would argue that Frontage be changed to Facade in these instances to allow more signage for buildings which face more than one public area. o We would propose the same replacement of Frontage with Façade in 2. Multi- Tenant, Multi-Level Non-Retail & Service Building; 3. Multi-Tenant Building Complex and 4. Multi-Tenant, Multi-Level, Mixed-Use Building. o We believe upper floor tenants should be allowed signs on the building face— size restricted as per signs for upper floors for multi-tenant buildings in other zones. • 25.07.02.04 Number 4, b (i) (1) Multi-Tenant, Multi-level, Mixed Use Building o Restricting the use of projecting signs to particular districts only creates an unlevel playing field, allowing signage for businesses in a particular area, and disallowing it for other businesses strictly due to location. • 25.07.02-05 Window Signs o For clarity and simplification, we'd suggest combining Non-Illuminated and Illuminated into one section and making the maximum sign area the same. • 25.07.02-07—Old Town & Old Meridian; Meijer Zone; Carmel Drive-Range Line Road Overlay Zones o We believe businesses should be provided with similar signage opportunities not dependent upon their location. Other provisions in the building ordinances prescribe the type and style of buildings, and signs types can follow those requirements to blend with the architectural design of the structures. o Under the Number & Type in a ground floor building under the Old Town and Old Meridian Section, we support the building owner/landlord's decision. regarding distribution of the signs and not a mandate from the city. • 25.07.02.09-Miscellaneous Permanent Signs o We believe this section is unnecessary and too specific. There are also unintended consequences, including an unnecessary potential proliferation of signs in parking lots. • 25.07.03 Temporary Signs, Letter D o Change to "Temporary signs may not use interior illumination." • 25.07.03.01 Construction Signs, Letters G & H o Presumably, requirements for city projects would also be required to follow the same restrictions. • 25.07.03-02 Real Estate Signs, Letter C, 2 and Letter H o Our preference would be to maintain the same sized signs in Business, Industrial and Manufacturing zones. o Since signage serves as the primary method of advertising available space for commercial properties. Enacting more regulations to require yearly reapplication seems punitive and unnecessary. • 25.07.03-07 Yard Sale & Open House Signs o While not a business issue, our opinion is that this is adding more laws where they are not needed and an additional layer of bureaucracy. • 25.07.03-08 Miscellaneous Temporary Signs o Our opinion is that is another example of additional unnecessary legislation., o Letter G, I - Drop box signage, like vending machine signage, is uncontrollable. Donation drop boxes arrive with applied names and logos. o Letter I, 1 —Requiring ADLS Amendment approval and temporary use permits in our opinion is unnecessary additional bureaucracy for businesses and retail land owners attempting to make philanthropic donations. o Presumably, rules regarding event directional signage would be identical for city- related events. • Sign Charts Freeway and Non-Freeway o Our preference would be to utilize equations in these sections so sunplify the chart and make it easier to determine what's allowable particularly when signs are on the side of a building (necessitating determination of proper viewing angle). • How to Get a Sign Materials o While not apart of the ordinance, we would suggest a user-friendly, simplified procedure document to replace the current "Procedure for Sign Approval." A proposal example is attached.