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HomeMy WebLinkAboutVI (D) Discussion re: Draft of Proposed Changes to Sign Ordinance AGENDA 9-19-95 "CENTER OF GOOD LIVING - PRIDE OF WEST ORANGE" Item VI D Ocoee (may, Cont M ISSIONGRS y RUSTY JOHNSON w ►,,► a CITY OF OCOEE PAUL W.FOSTER v �}.° O 150 N. LAKESHORE DRIVE SCOTT A.GLASS �' OCOEE,FLORIDA 34761-2258 JIM GLEASON � spV (407)656-2322 CITY tit ANAGI K Op GOOD ELLIS SHAPIRO MEMORANDUM TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND BOARD OF CITY COMMISSIONERS FROM: D.W. FLIPPEN, BUILDING AND ZONING DIRECTOR Q.52- DATE: SEPTEMBER 14, 1995 SUBJECT: REVIEW OF DRAFT OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO CITY OF OCOEE SIGN ORDINANCE ISSUE Should the Honorable Mayor and Board of City Commissioners authorize the Building and Zoning Director to proceed with the adoption of an ordinance amending our City Sign Ordinance? BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION At the direction of the City Commission, I prepared a draft of proposed changes to our existing sign ordinance. The proposed changes would permit the placement of temporary directional signs on City controlled rights-of-way on weekends and legal holidays. The temporary directional signs would be restricted to developers, builders, realtors and garage sales. Also included in this proposal are provisions for temporary signs for special events, public transportation bench advertisement and new homes guide signs. A copy of these proposed changes was sent to the Home Builders Association of Mid-Florida, the Greater Orlando Association of Realtors, the West Orange Chamber of Commerce and the West Orange Jaycees. The only written response received was from the Home Builders Association of Mid-Florida. I did receive a telephone call from Ms. Frankie Collen with the Greater Orlando Association of Realtors. Ms. Collen informed me that her organization was very pleased with the proposed changes and would like to be notified of any public hearing concerning these changes. As of this date, I have not received any comments from the West Orange Chamber of Commerce or the West Orange Jaycees. On September 12, 1995, the proposed ordinance changes were reviewed by the City Planning and Zoning Commission. The Planning and Zoning Commission expressed their agreement with the changes subject to six (6) minor changes which are as follows: Staff Report September 15, 1995 Page 2 1) Section 8-7 ( 11) Add wording that would permit the use of standard realestate signs and do not require special sign design for realtors. 2 ) Section 8-7 ( 10) Add language that would prohibit signs from being placed within a safe-sight triangle. 3) Section 8-7 ( 17) Clear up language to prohibit a realtor who has an exclusive sales agreement in a new subdivision from having an excessive number of signs. 4) Section 8-7 (B) Add requirement that all temporary directional signs shall be in good condition; no bent, faded or damaged signs. 5) Section 8-9 Clear up language to restrict signs to builders, developers and directions to subdivisions. 6) Section 8-10 Verify definition of non-profit organization. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Honorable Mayor and Board of City Commissioners authorize the Building and Zoning Director to proceed with the process to adopt these changes to the sign ordinance by placement on the next Planning and Zoning Commission Agenda for a public hearing as the L.P.A. and then placement on the City Commission Agenda for a first and second reading by next November. DWF/sas/611 8-7 Temporary Directional Signs A. Definition Temporary Directional Sign is defined as a temporary sign erected pursuant to the provisions of this Section which designed and erected to serve as a public convenience in directing pedestrian and vehicular traffic, but not used for the purpose of advertising uses and activities on site. All references in this Section to a sign or signs shall refer to a temporary directional sign. B. The following Standards shall apply to temporary directional signs: 1) Signs may be placed only within a City road right-of-way on (a) weekends after 5:00 p.m. Friday and must be removed prior to 8:00 a.m. the following Monday, and (b) legal holidays after 5:00 p.m. of the day preceding the holiday and must be removed prior to 8:00 a.m. of the day after the holiday. Signs erected pursuant to this Section shall be prohibited at all other times. 2 ) Individual signs shall not exceed four (4) square feet in area or 3 feet in height, except that three individual signs may be ganged together on one vertical support not to exceed ten ( 10) feet in height. 3) Signs shall be for directional purposes only. 4) Signs shall be attached to a separate individual support base. Signs are prohibited from being attached to utility poles, existing signs, street signs, structures, trees or fences. 5) Signs shall be made of a durable hard surface conducive to promoting traffic safety by preventing visual distraction. No flags, pennants, banners, or moving parts shall be permitted on the sign or separate from the sign. 5) Signs shall not be erected without a permit. 6) Signs erected prior to 5:00 pm Friday and not removed by 8:00 am the following Monday and/or 5:00 pm of the day preceding a legal holiday and removed by 8:00 am of the day after the holiday shall be removed by the City and not returned to the owner of such sign. Fees paid for the confiscated sign(s) shall not be refunded. 7 ) The City shall charge a fee for each sign authorized by a Temporary Directional Sign Permit - Fee schedule shall be determined by Resolution adopted by The City Commission. 8) All signs erected without a permit may be removed by the City. The owner of a sign erected without a permit may be billed by the City for the cost of removing the sign. The cost shall be determined by Resolution of the City Commission. Failure to pay the cost within thirty (30) days after notice shall be a violation of this Code enforceable against the owner of the sign pursuant to Chapter 7 of this Code. 9) Signs may be placed no closer than fifteen ( 15) feet from the edge of pavement or within one ( 1) foot of the sidewalk between the road pavement and sidewalk, whichever is less. 10) No sign shall be placed in a roadway median strip. 11) Temporary Directional Sign Permits for Developers, Builders and Realtors shall be issued on a yearly basis from January 1 through December 31. Permits issued after July 1 shall be charged one half 1/2 the fee established by Resolution of the City Commission. 12) Temporary Directional Sign Permits for garage sales, Major Special Events and Minor Special Events shall be issued for the duration of the sale or special event. 13) A numbered City of Ocoee identification seal shall be attached to the upper right hand corner of each sign. Numbered City of Ocoee identification seals shall be issued by the City of Ocoee. 14 ) Replacement City of Ocoee temporary directional sign seals for damaged, lost or stolen signs may be obtained from the City upon written request to the Building Official, by the owner of the signs. Written request shall contain the original sign number(s) and the reason for the needed replacement. New sign seals will be issued upon approval by the Building Official and payment of required fees. 15) Temporary directional signs shall be permitted only for property or functions in the City of Ocoee. No signs shall be permitted or erected in the City of Ocoee when said directions are to property or functions not located in the City. 16) Temporary directional signs shall only be erected in City controlled rights-of-way. 17) The maximum number of developer and builder temporary directional signs approved by the City shall not exceed thirty (30) signs per each subdivision. C. Temporary Directional Signs shall be limited to the following: 1) Developers Developers of residential or commercial subdivisions which are located within the City of Ocoee shall be subject to the following additional conditions and limitations: a) Developers shall not be permitted to place signs until a permit has been issued by the City for the subdivision improvements. b) Developers shall not be permitted to utilize temporary directional signs one ( 1) year after a Certificate of Completion has been issued by the City for a subdivision or a phase of the subdivision. c) A Developer is limited to a maximum of ten ( 10) temporary directional signs per each separate subdivision. 2 ) Builders Builders of residential or commercial buildings located within the City of Ocoee shall be subject to the following additional conditions and limitations: a) Builders are permitted to have a maximum of ten ( 10) signs per each subdivision. b) Builders shall not be permitted to place signs until a building permit for the construction of the building being directed to has been issued. c) Builders shall not erect signs to buildings after the building has been sold or occupied. 3) Realtors Realtors shall only erect a maximum of three (3) temporary directional signs for each property for which they are the contracted realtor of record. 4 ) Garage Sales An owner of property or tenant who actually resides in a residential dwelling which is his/her legal address shall be permitted to erect a maximum of four (4) temporary directional signs in connection with a garage sale. One sign shall be placed on the property where the actual garage sales is conducted. Actual signs are limited to the signs issued by the City. Signs erected prior to 5:00 pm of the day preceding the sale and/or not removed prior to 8:00 am of the day after the sale shall be picked up by the City and the owner of the signs billed by the City for the removal of the sign(s) . Fees for cost of sign removal shall be determined by Resolution of the City Commission. 5) Major Special Events Major Special Events are those Special Events that meet the City Code for special events and have been issued a Special Event permit. The number of temporary directional signs for Major Special Events is limited to ten ( 10) signs. Additional signs may be obtained if requested in writing a minimum of five (5) days prior to the Special Event. The City Manager has the authority to approve or deny additional signs. Any sign not erected as prescribed by this Section and/or erected more than seven (7) days prior to the day of the special event or not removed by 8:00 am of the day after the last day of the special event will be picked up by the City and the owner of the sign or permittee shall be billed by the City an amount determined by Resolution of the City Commission. A non-profit fraternal, benevolent, charitable, religious, eleemosynary, philanthropic, altruistic, civic, community, veteran, education organization or other organization of similar nature shall be exempt from payment of temporary directional sign permit fees for Major Special Events. 6) Minor Special Events Minor Special Events are defined as events that do not require the issuance of a City Special Events Permit. The number of temporary directional signs for Minor Special Events is limited to ten ( 10) signs. Additional signs may be obtained if requested in writing a minimum of five (5) days prior to the special event. The City Manager has the authority to approve or deny additional signs. Any sign not erected as prescribed by this Section and/or erected more than seven (7) days prior to the day of the special event or not removed by 8:00 am of the day after the last day of the special event will be picked up by the City and the owner of the sign or permittee may be billed by the City in an amount determined by Resolution of the City Commission. A non-profit fraternal, benevolent, charitable, religious, eleemosynary, philanthropic, altruistic, civic, community, veteran, education organization or other organization of similar nature shall be exempt from payment of temporary directional sign permit fees for Minor Special Events. 8-8 Public Transportation Bench Advertisement A. Advertisement signs attached to the backrest of benches on private or public property shall only be permitted on benches expressly approved by the City Commission for the use, convenience and comfort of public transportation customers. The maximum size of the bench advertising sign shall not exceed two (2) feet by six (6) feet in any dimension. Fees for bench advertising signs placed on the backrest of an approved public transportation sign shall be determined by Resolution of the City Commission. The City may enter into written agreements for the installation of benches, including advertising displayed thereon, within the right-of-way limits of any City, County or State road within the City, except a limited access highway. 8-9 New Homes Guide Signs A. A new homes guide sign is defined as a permanent structure erected by the City on City road rights-of-way or City owned or controlled property that provides space for signs giving directions to new homes being constructed in the City of Ocoee and individual builder names with directional arrows. All references in this Section to a sign or signs refer to new home guide signs. 1) Information presented on sign shall be limited to the builder's company name and a directional arrow. 2 ) New homes guide sign structures and individual builder directional signs shall be erected by the City of Ocoee at locations approved by the Development Review Committee. 3) Builders desiring to utilize the new homes guide sign structure shall first submit an application for use to the City of Ocoee Building Department. Approval of new homes guide sign locations shall be based upon the public health, safety and welfare and shall consider the proximity and relationship of the proposed New Homes Guide sign to other existing signage. No new homes guide sign shall be approved where such sign constitutes a safety hazard of any kind. 4 ) Only builders with active construction permits are permitted to advertise on the new homes guide sign structure. 5) Individual builders directional signs shall be issued for a one year period beginning January 1 and ending December 31. 6) All cost of sign structures and individual signs shall be paid by the advertising builders as determined by the City. 7) The City shall not be held responsible for stolen or damaged signs. All repair cost or replacement cost of structures and/or signs shall be paid by the advertising builder prior to replacement of signs. 8) The City shall not be held responsible for the temporary or permanent removal of new homes guide structures or signs during construction projects in the road rights-of-way or on City owned or controlled property. 9) Sign spaces shall be approved by the Building Official and Planning Director. Any dispute concerning the assignment of sign space shall be determined by the Development Review Committee. 10) New homes guide sign structures and individual sign designs shall be approved by the City Commission upon recommendation of the Development Review Committee. 8-10 Off-Premises Directional Signs For Non-Profit Organizations A. A non-profit fraternal, benevolent, charitable religious, eleemosynary, philanthropic, altruistic, civic, community, veteran education organization or other organization of similar nature may apply to the Building and Zoning Official for a permit to request the City to erect up to a maximum of three (3) directional signs on public rights-of-way located within the corporate limits of the City of Ocoee. Such signs shall be only for the purpose of directing attention to the location of the organization located elsewhere than on the premises where the sign is located and shall not be used for advertising purposes. No other signs shall be permitted to be used for this purpose and existing signs shall be removed. B. Applications for off-premises directional signs under this Section shall be submitted in writing to the Building Department and shall contain all pertinent information relating to the applicant, the location of the proposed signs and other information as requested by the City. If the Building and Zoning Official determines that the application is complete and has been submitted by a qualified organization, the application shall be forwarded to the Development Review Committee for review and action. The Development Review Committee shall review the permit application based upon the public health, safety and welfare and shall consider the proximity and relationship of the proposed off-premises directional sign to other existing signage. No application for an off-premises directional sign shall be approved where such sign constitutes a safety hazard of any kind. All approvals or denials shall be in writing on, or accompanied by, one copy of the application. C. If the Development Review Committee approves an application, the Building and Zoning Official shall issue a permit. thereafter, the City will construct or purchase such directional signs and will erect the signs; provided, however, that if any permits or approvals are required by other governmental agencies having jurisdiction over the public rights-of-way in which such signs are proposed to be erected then the applicant shall be responsible to obtain all permits and approvals prior to the erection thereof by the City. All costs and expenses associated with the construction and erection of the directional signs shall be promptly reimbursed to the City by the applicant. D. All off-premises directional signs shall be located within one-half mile of the applicant's premises. E. The maximum size of an off-premises directional sign shall be eighteen ( 18) by twenty-four (24) inches. F. The maximum height of an off-premises directional sign shall be ten ( 10) feet. G. All off-premises directional signs shall be of uniform color with a blue background with white letters of a high intensity reflective material. H. The sign post of all off-premises directional signs shall be of a breakaway design as approved by the Director Public Works. I. All off-premises directional signs for non-profit organizations shall be maintained in good condition. Any such sign damaged by any reason shall be removed by the City and not replaced until all cost of removal, re-furbishing, and erection of the sign has been paid to the City. The cost of removal, re-furbishing and erection shall be determined by the Public Works Director. Section 6-10 (D) (6) Section 6-10(D) (6) of Article VI of the Land Development Code shall be amended as follows: Except as provided in Section 6-10(D) (6) of this Code, no accessory structures, garbage or trash collection points or receptacles, parking, or any other functional use contrary to the intent and purpose of this Code shall be permitted in a required landscape area. This does not prohibit the combining of compatible functions such as landscaping and drainage facilities. Section 8-4 (B) (2) Amend Section 8-4 (B) (2 ) to provide that the maximum height allowed for ground or pole signs is 15 feet in all zoning districts. Section 8-11, Signage in Activity Centers Signage on individual parcels located within an Activity Center may be restricted as to size, height, location and number, consistent with a coordinated identification system program established for the area. It is the intent of this Section to promote higher quality signage standards within Activity Center Areas than those typically permitted under the Standard Provisions of the Ocoee Land Development Code. OME U/LDERS SSOC/AT/OH MID-FLORIDA GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS July 31, 1995 D. W. Flippen, Building and Zoning Director City of Ocoee 150 N. Lakeshore Drive Ocoee, FL 34761-2258 Dear Don: Thank you for your recent letter requesting input from the Home Builders Association of Mid-Florida (HBA) regarding the City of Ocoee' s proposed sign ordinance. The HBA is pleased with the direction the City has taken in drafting this ordinance and would like you to consider the following comments . A. Definition The HBA would like to request that the maximum height be changed from 3 feet to 5 feet since 3 feet will not be as visible from the road. B. If the 5 feet in height is acceptable, it also needs to be changed in this section. We have some concern over the appearance of "ganging" of three signs up to ten feet in height . Is there some specific reason the City is requesting this provision? 7) The HBA would like to request that the City consider charging a permit fee per builder, per subdivision, as opposed to a fee per sign. Administering the fee by builder will be less cumbersome and more cost effective for the City and will still provide the City with the ability to track the person who permitted each sign. 13) Instead of the City issuing costly identification seals, the HBA suggests the sign permits be numbered and that the permit number be affixed to the back of each sign by the builder. 14) Delete this section and follow # 13 . 17) The HBA would appreciate some clarification of this section. Is the City only allowing 30 signs per subdivision even if that subdivision has more than one builder? This is somewhat confusing if 544 Mayo Avenue • Maitland, Florida 32751 • (407) 629-9242 • FAX (407) 539-2013 you read under the Builder section a) Builders are permitted to have a maximum of 10 signs per subdivision. Builders a) The HBA would like to be able to place temporary directional signs prior to the issuance of a building permit. Pre sales of lots often start 90 days prior to actual construction. New Homes Guide Signs A. The HBA would like to add or subdivision names after individual builder names. Thank you again for soliciting our input. If you have any questions or comments please call me at 629-9242, ext. 110 . I will look forward to hearing from you regarding any public hearing or other meetings regarding this issue. Sinc rely, Ja . Hall, Governmental Affairs Associate Director Home Builders Association of Mid-Florida c: Tony Martin, President Wallace West, Executive Director 1,..U,:-' . :.; +d! i.:.t '!,. •i. 4X24 r DESIGN TREATMENT NO.3 4. 6' 1 . Vinyt Logo • 1•White • Border �0� Test Caps OCOEE - NEW }COMES GUIDE b' Centex .Homes I9t /2. • 4 Ryland Homes 41111 Signature Homes Stcndard &eck- Away Holes Example--not to sccle