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ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JULY 14, 2025 4 City Administrator Jagoe said that our current language is absent of any requirements so this is just getting EV readiness built into the code for new construction. Councilmember Holden said there isn't a lot on signage yet. She asked if the consultants will be bringing that back. City Administrator Jagoe confirmed. The signage discussion, as presented to the Planning Commission, is that there are alternate ways that you can look at the calculation for the square footage. Today they are by geographical area in the community, which is different than the Zoning Districts. The consultants were seeking feedback on if the areas should mirror the Zoning Districts which would make it easier for the end user to determine those parameters. One of the other ways signage can be calculated is based on the road frontage. The Planning Commission was open to either option. She asked if Council has any direction. Councilmember Holden said she thinks all the different regulations are impossible for City Staff to measure. She recalled a couple of examples where light density couldn't be measured and how you can't measure how often the dynamic signs changes. People will complain. She wants these regulations to be easy for the City to enforce without spending money on equipment to meter light at different times of the day and night. Mayor Grant said LED lighting should be addressed. A half -candle light can be seen for two miles because of the brightness of the contrast of the LED over the distance. Councilmember Weber said all dynamic signs are LED. He would rather we not have dynamic signs all over the place. He would be open to learning more about how that can be regulated. Other than that, he's not in favor of changing the sign regulations, too much. Councilmember Holden said that is the one thing we have control over, to make the area look nice. The problem is the majority of residents don't want us looking like Las Vegas. She hears that the other side of Lexington looks like constant daylight. Discussion ensued regarding signs with lights at individual businesses and at what distance they can be seen. Mayor Grant said there is a difference between signage and lighting. Councilmember Rousseau said she would want to know more before talking about lighting. How big the sign is, will matter. She asked if the businesses in the gateway areas might actually benefit from the miniature Vegas signs. City Administrator Jagoe asked if Council wants to look at dynamic signs, dependent on location. Today the language states it is limited to menu board signs. Our ordinance distinguishes between a dynamic sign and a billboard. Billboards are prohibited. She could ask the consultants to make some recommendations to allow them in certain situations. Councilmember Rousseau would be interested in exploring that. Councilmember Holden would rather have lit signage on the building vs. a dynamic monument sign, which is almost a billboard, along the gateway.