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HomeMy WebLinkAbout23 APARTMENT SIGNS 07-03-95;'=G E DA DATE: .Inter-Com NO. 23 7-3-95 JULY 3, 1995 WILLIAM A. HUSTON, CITY MANAGER 10: COM/4IINITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT FROM: TEMPORARY SIGN REGULATIONS FOR APARTMENT SIGNS (TUSTIN SUBJEC~ EFFECTIVE APARTMENT MANAGERS) RECOMMENDATION Based upon direction provided by the City CounCil, it is recommended that the City Council have first reading and introduce by title only Ordinance 1155, as submitted or revised. FISCAL IMPACT There are no fiscal impacts associated with this project other than staff 'time to process this request. BACKGROUND At the June 12, 1995 Planning Commission meeting, Regina Amthauer, President of Tustin Effective Apartment Managers (TEAM) addressed the Planning Commission with their concern related to the proliferation of illegal temporary signs on weekends at apartment complexes throughout the City. They also requested that enforcement of the City's sign regulations related to temporary signs be increased. At that time, staff and the Planning Commission responded- that: 1) Code Enforcement staff were. undertaking regular weekend sweeps in the field on Saturdays; and 2) the Planning Commission has initiated discussion of comprehensive revisions to the City's Sign Code and on the concerns of TEAM, which will continue over the next several meetings. At the June 19, 1995 City Council meeting, Ms. Amthauer addressed the City Council with a'proposal to make temporary changes to the Sign Code and to relax the enforcement of temporary on-site signs at apartment complexes until interim regulatiOns could be adopted. The Council provided direction to staff to. develop an Ordinance to address the use of temporary signs at apartment complexes. In accordance with that direction, staff has prepared an Ordinance for consideration which could be in effect until such time that the Planning Commission and City Council adopt more comprehensive revisions to the Sign Code. City Council Report Temporary Apartment Signs July 3, 1995 Page 2 DISCUSSION The City's Sign Code currently makes several provisions for a variety of temporary and permanent signs that could be used for apartment projects which include: · . . Temporary Residential Real Estate: (Section 9406C4, 9406C5) (No Sign~Permit Required) Building Identification: (Section 9407A) (Sign Permit Required) Permanent Real Estate: (Section 9407B) (Sign Permit Required) Permanent Decorative Flags: (Section 9404c5) (Sign Permit Reauired) .. Directional/Informational: (Section 9403d10) (No Sign Permit Required) On-site signs which identify for sale, lease, or rent; Maximum size of 6 sq. ft. and maximum height of 7 feet; One sign per street 'frontage permitted. On-site signs which can indicate the name of a project only; Maximum size of 15 sq. ft. which may be increased to 21 sq. ft. if it includes vacancy information; One sign per street 'frontage permitted. , On-site signs for rental information; Maximum size of 6 sq. ft. Subject to Design Review approval by the Planning Commission; Must be compatible with project. On-site signs for directional information; Maximum size of 6 sq. ft. and maximum height of 4 feet; One sign p e r p r o j e c t entrance. City Council Report Temporary Apartment Signs July 3, 1995 Page 3 The following are some of the sign types that are specifically prohibited by the Sign Code and have been displayed at apartment complexes, as well as retail businesses, throughout the community: Off-Premise Sign: (Section 9404al(k)) A sign advertising a business, product, event, person or subject not related to the premises upon which the sign is located. , Portable Signs: (Section 9404al(n)) Signs that can be readily moved or Carried from one location to another such as sandwich boards or "A" frames. . Roof Top Signs: (Section 9404al(p)) Signs mounted or painted on roofs including mansards. o Snipe Signs: (Section 9404al(s)) VehiCle Signs: (Section 9404al(t)) A temporary sign affixed to a tree, fence, utility pole, etc. Business signs on or affixed to trucks, automobiles, trailers or other vehicles while parked. The proposal presented by TEAM is requesting that the City Council approve interim regulations to allow apartment complexes to display decorative flags (without Design Review by the Planning Commission). In addition, they would like permission to display one additional sign per street frontage, not to exceeds32 square feet in size, to advertise move-in specials. A copy of TEAM's proposal is included as Attachment A. After additional discussion with representatives from TEAM, it is staff's understanding that what TEAM specifically is requesting with the 32 square feet of on-site signage is their desire to utilize sandwich boards, "A" frame signs or banner signs. Banners are temporary signs generally made of fabric or any non-rigid material. It is also staff's understanding' that TEAM only intends their request to apply to larger apartment complexes and not to smaller sites to establish some parity with the master sign authorizations granted to apartment projects, particularly in East Tustin.' City Council Report Temporary Apartment Signs July 3, 1995 Page 4 The Planning Commission approved a Conditional Use Permit to allow apartment projects within East Tustin, all of which are over 230 units in size, to display decorative flags on weekends as follows: A maximum of 6 flags per project; Not to exceed eighteen (18) square feet in area each; Not to exceed nineteen (19) feet in height. Projects in East Tustin are not authorized to display temporary banners or "A" frame signs. The display of these types of temporary signs continues to be an enforcement concern with some apartment projects. To achieve parity, the draft Ordinance would allow for flags as is the case in East Tustin. However, flags would only be permitted for those projects with 20 or more units. Apartment complexes with 20 to 69 units may display a maximum of two (2) flags. Apartment complexes with 70 or more units may display a maximum of four (4) flags and may display one (1) portable sign per street frontage on the weekend only. It is envisioned that all other provisions of the Sign Code would remain in full force and effect. The draft Ordinance to the Sign Code has been drafted to only remain in effect until future permanent reviSions are also considered by the Planning Commission and adopted by the City Council. The distinction between the size of the apartment complex and the types of signs that would be permitted was based upon information maintained by the Community Development Department and the desire of TEAM to limit the signs to larger complexes. There are approximately 450 apartment complexes within the City, not including East Tustin. Attachment B includes a summary of the number of projects based upon the number of units within a project. Over 80% of the apartment complexes have 19 or fewer units. The draft Ordinance has not made provisions for those complexes with 19 or fewer units to display any flags or portable signs~ The significant number of ~hese small complexes would create an over concentration of flags and displays within neighborhoods. However, current provisions of the Sign Code as previously mentioned would still be available for project and rental information, including the use of flags with approval by the Planning Commission. For apartment complexes with 20-69. units (approximately 41 projects), the Ordinance would authorize the display of two (2) flags per property. However, no portable signs would be permitted. For apartment complexes with 70 or more units (approximately 40 projects), the Ordinance would authorize the display of four (4) flags per property and the display of portable signs, one per City Council Report Temporary Apartment Signs July 3, 1995 Page 5 street frontage, on the weekends only. Again, all other provisions of the Sign Code previously mentioned would be available to each apartment complex. The objective of the interim regulations is to provide visibility and 'consistency of signs for apartment complexes. As a policy decision, the City Council may wish to consider the issue of allowing banners and "A" frame signs for apartment complexes. Banners are currently allowed as temporary signs for commercial businesses. However, portable and "A" frame signs are not permitted for businesses, nor are they allowed for residential projects, including East Tustin. The presence of portable and "A" frame signs for apartment complexes would give the appearance that those sign types are acceptable for all other types of businesses within the City. Significant enforcement efforts have occurred on certain apartment complexes, Such as Villa-Viento on First Street, related to continual banner and portable sign violations. As a possible alternative, the temporary signs could be designed and displayed in a manner that would give the appearance of permanent signs. Such a sign could be ground mounted similar to the flag poles where the sign is slipped into a sleeve footing. If the sign was to be wall or fence mounted, it could be constructed of non fabric material and hung in a specific location for ease of removal after the weekend, also giving a more permanent appearance. Details for the signs and displays could also be coordinated among the apartment complexes to provide a uniform appearance in design and treatment. Should the Council desire to proceed in this. manner, alternative language could be provided in Section 1, Paragraph B.1 of the draft interim ordinance as follows: The use of temporary signs and displays shall be subject to the following: For apartment complexes with 70 or more units, temporary signs may be displayed to advertise moVe-in specials, special promotions, units for rent or other information related to the apartment complex. The temporary signs may be freestanding provided that they are mounted in a sleeve footing detail, which would allow for the removal of the sign, to give the appearance of a permanent sign when installed. The temporary signs may also be wall or fence mounted provided that the sign is constructed of non-fabric material and mounted in a manner to appear as a permanent sign, but with installation details that City Council Report Temporary Apartment Signs July 3, 1995 Page 6 would facilitate easy removal. Such signs shall not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet in area and shall not exceed six (6) feet in height for freestanding signs, and mounted below the roof eave or below the top of fence mounted for wall or fence signs. Each eligible'apartment complex shall be limited to one (1) sign- per street frOntage. CONCLUSION' Ordinance No. 1155 is attached for consideration by the City Council, as submitted or revised. Daniel' Fo~, AICP Senior Planner Christine '~. ~ngleton Assistant Cit~/Manager CAS:DF :br:APTSIGNS Attachments: Attachment A, TEAM Proposal Attachment B, Apartment Complex Size Survey Ordinance 1155 ATTACHMENT B APARTMENT COMPLEX SIZE SURVEY Complex Size (#. of Units) # of Complexes Percent of Complexes 0 - 19 369 8.2% 20 - 69 41 9% 70+ 40 9% Total 456 100% sOurce: Cona~Jnity Devetol~nent Department Records 1 ORDINANCE NO. 1155 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUSTIN, CALIFORNIA, ADOPTINGREGULATIONS FOR TEMPORARY DECORATIVE FLAGS AND DISPLAYS FOR RESIDENTIAL APARTMENT COMPLEXES WITH 20 OR MORE UNITS 10 11 13 WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Tustin finds and determines as follows: ae . That reasonable regulations related to the temporary. display of flags and signs for the marketing of larger apartment complexes are necessary; and That this Ordinance is intended to provide for parity of regulations throughout the City for temporary signs related to larger'apartment complexes; and It has been determined that a consistent approach to temporary decorative flags and signs for larger apartment complexes within the City would be more effective, reduce the existence of illegal signs,, and reduce overall sign clutter throughout the community. NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council. of the .City of Tustin DOES 14 HEREBY ORDAIN as follows: 15 Section 1. The following provisions are hereby adopted as interim regulations for the placement of temporary decorative flags 16 and signs for those apartment complexes with 20 or more units: 17 A. 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 The use of temporary decorative flags shall be subject to the following: Temporary decorative flags shall not exceed eighteen (18) square feet in area and mounted on poles not to exceed nineteen (19) feet in height. o For apartment complexes with 20 to 69 units, a maximum of two (2) flags may be displayed. For apartment complexes with 70 or more units, a maximum of four (4) flags may be displayed. . The location and grouping of decorative flags shall be limited to areas on-site within close proximity to the leasing office, project identification signs, project entrances or street frontages. Flag locations and footing details, including structural calculations where required shall be submitted for the footing sleeve detail, which would allow for the removal of the poles, shall be approved by the Community Development Department. Requirements of the Uniform Building Code shall be complied with as approved by the Building Official. 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 Ordinance No.1155 Page 2 . The decorative flags shall be maintained, repaired or removed when torn, frayed, faded, or otherwise damaged. The use of temporary signs and displays shall be subject to the following: · For apartment projects with 70 or more units, a portable freestanding sign may be displayed to advertise move-in specials, special promotions, 'units for rents or other information related to the apartment complex. Such sign shall not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet in area and shall not exceed six (6) feet in height. Each eligible apartment complex shall be limited to one (1) sign per street frontage. · The location of portable freestanding signs shall be limited to'landscaped areas on-site within close proximity to the leasing office, project identification signs, project entrances or street frontages. No sign shall be located on a sidewalk or within the public rights2of_way, including landscaped parkways,and on-site walkways. . The display of portable freestanding signs'shall be limited to Saturdays and Sundays only. Section 2. Ail other provisions of the City's Sign Code related to temporary signs shall remain in full force and effect. Section 3. This Ordinance is hereby adopted as interim regulations for the placement of temporary flags and displays for those partment complexes with 20 or more units and shall be in effect until~ superceded by permanent revisions to the Sign Code currently under review. PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the city Council of the City of Tustin held on the 3rd day of July, 1995. JIM POTTS Mayor MARY WYNN City Clerk As President of Tustin EffectiTM Apartment Managers, T.E.A.M., I'm here representing it's members. T.E.A.M. has, for the past three years, worked to improve the image of our city and the renters who ccmpri~ over 50% of the population of Tustin. We have, working with the Police ~e~t and other City Departments, greatly improved the quality of life in the southwest area of the city. We serve on City Boards and (Xmmissions and participate in many programs through- out the conm~ty. We all know the economy has been hard on everyone, in every industry in our city including apartment o0m~nities. The pictures %~ have show a very ~nall portion of the various types of on site advertising going on in our city. It has oome to our attention that sc~e a~t oormunities are engaged in off sight marketing on week, ds and because of the absenoe of code enfo~t, we are concerned that this type of activity will escalate. In our business it is cc~Ton practice to. display "bootleg" or directional signs on local streets. These signs add to the sign clutter w~ are all concerned about. We are told 'by the Police Department that they have no authority on weekends regarding this activity and by the time we are able to contact city personnel the ~ has passed. · We are all. trying to attract qualified residents and to do this those prospects must know we're here. What we'd like to propose is an alternative. We would like to display on site flags in a manner that you see in the pictures before you of the ~ial building located at the corner of Irvine Boulevard and Yorba. In addition, On weekends from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays,-a sign, ATTACHMENT A- one per street front not to exceed 32 square feet, to 'adv~rtise move in specials. T.E.A.M, in conjunction with Code Enforcement, will inform 'all Tustin apartment ocmma~nities andYor management ocmpanies that this will be available for the next 90 da~s and request that all off sight marketing cease. We feel this approach will allow Tustin a~t cc~m%unities the sam~ type of advantages of ~ities in other cities and Will hopefully eliminate the blight of "snipe" signs and other forms of off sight illega~ acitivity. We hope you will ooncur with our r~quest to enlist the ooopera~ion of'the city in our effort to eliminate a oondition which is a blight on us all. We have discussed this plan with several people in the oo~munity who share our concerns'. .Mr. Lou Bone, cha/~ of Tustin Pride'., has agreed this plan should be tried and wall ask the concurrence o~ his comnit~. We talked to Mr, Don Biery re~~ the proposal tO get a real estate point of view and he has told us that it seems to be a good alternative. T.E.A.M. has appeared brfore the Planning C~ssion and we are aware that they will be reviewing the city sign oode. We are asking for this as a t~rary solution until such time as their review and ~tions to the oonucil are completed. We ~uld 1/ke your approval to begin this program as soon as possible and w~ request relaxed enfor~t for a period of 90 days on our request.