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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - February 19,2008 3 Public Works Director Hoag stated this would entail less than twenty feet of sidewalk to connect the south side of their parking lot to the existing sidewalk. He added that many residents understand that the National Guard parking lot is used for overflow parking and they are willing to park there and walk to city hall. It was the consensus of the City Council to explore other viable options for expanding the parking lot at city hall. B. Sign Code City Planner Lehnhoff presented several proposed changes to the Sign Code. He stated the City Council enacted a one-year moratorium on dynamic display signage in January 2007; when staff started looking at other parts of the Code, it became evident that further modification to the existing Code was needed to further clarifY and update the Sign Code. He noted that since the Sign Code is not part of the Zoning Code, state statutes and the City Code do not require a public hearing with the Planning Commission to make changes to the Sign Code; however, in order to have additional review of the proposed changes, the Planning Commission reviewed the proposed changes at their regular meeting on January 9, 2008, and at a work session on February 6, 2008. He stated the Planning Commission came to a consensus that the proposed changes should be forwarded to the City Council for review, and official review of the changes has tentatively been set for the March 10, 2008, City Council meeting. City Planner Lehnhoff stated that a number of policy questions were brought up by the Planning Commission and staff is seeking direction on these issues from the City Council. Counci]member Holden asked how the Sign Code addresses signs that are placed on top of a huge monument. City Planner Lehnhoff replied that the sign area is calculated just by the text and graphics and the Code does not look at the area outside of that; at this point, the Code does not contain any restrictions on the sign area. Regulations can be created to address this issue. 1. Should roll out portable sil!ns be permitted? City Planner Lehnhoff explained the previous Sign Code did not specifically allow these types of signs and hence were prohibited; however, they were specifically added into the current Sign Code in 2006. He noted that some cities permit these types of signs while others ban them completely. He added the Code currently has a time limit of 30 days for this type of sign; if someone wants to continue using this type of sign, they are required to come in and get a permit. He explained from a legal standpoint, the City can regulate time, manner, and place for signs. Councilmember McClung stated he would be in favor of prohibiting this type of sign. Counci]member Grant concurred.