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1.0B ACKGROUND 15 In June 2012, the City Council adopted a comprehensive update to the Sign 16 Regulations chapter of the Zoning Ordinance, which corrected and clarified a 17 number of areas. 18 However, over the past few months, the City Planner has identified two additional 19 areas/items that require further action. They include: 1) revised language 20 regarding temporary signs, and 2) new language/requirements for freestanding 21 canopy signs (fuel stations). 22 FFCS REESTANDINGUELANOPYIGNAGE 23 Specific to freestanding fuel canopy signage, the code has never been clear on 24 how such signage is permitted. For instance, going back to the 1999 sign 25 requirements, the Planning Division interpreted canopy signs to be a component 26 of the total amount allowed on the principal structure. But the code was silent on 27 any reference to a canopy or canopy signs/signage. This loose interpretation 28 carried forward in a number of amendments through the years and now it is 29 loosely referenced in the 2012 amendment. Specifically, current language in 30 Table 1010-2: Signs Allowed in Commercial and Mixed Use Districts, 31 Employment Districts, and Institutional Districts states that, Sign area for all 32 sides of building (including fuel canopy) is capped at the Maximum Sign Area 33 Allowed. 34 Since there is a clear distinction between a building front and a freestanding fuel 35 canopy front, and because the types of signs that would be placed on the building 36 versus a freestanding fuel canopy typically differ, the City Planner has determined 37 that clarification between the two is essential, not as a way to allow additional 38 signageper se, but to differentiate between building and freestanding fuel canopy 39 signage. The City Planner’s analysis concludes that an average motor fuel sales 40 building is a small cashier and convenience store that has a limited building front 41 and thus very limited overall signage allowance for the building and canopy. A 42 canopy, on the other hand, is typically a larger accessory structure (height and 43 length) but also has a very limited or defined area in which to place a sign or 44 signs, especially when the freestanding fuel canopy (roof) structure is generally 45 between 24 to 36 inches in height. 46 The City Planner’s analysis also concludes that by and large, motor fuel sales 47 have two or three rows of fuel pump islands that the canopy covers to the outside 48 perimeter. There are exceptions to this size (SuperAmerica at Lexington and 49 County Road B), but on average the canopy structure is between 50 and 75 feet in 50 length and 30 feet in width/depth. 51 Given the fairly strict limitations on signage currently in the code (1 or 1-1/2 52 square feet of signage for each lineal foot of building front), the City Planner has 53 determined that similar limitation should be placed on the canopy. Since it is 54 fairly easy to determine the front of a property and therefore the front of the 55 freestanding fuel canopy, the City Planner has concluded that a ½ sq. ft. of 56 signage for each lineal foot of freestanding canopy front seems to be an 57 26 Page of PROJ0013_SignRegulations_RCA_030613