The purpose of this article is to amend the
Village's Building Zone Ordinance by adopting new provisions to regulate
signs and related matters in order to protect and enhance Village
property values; increase Village commerce; reduce sign or advertising
distractions and obstructions which may be hazardous to motorists,
bicyclists and pedestrians; reduce hazards that may be caused by signs
or other structures overhanging or projecting over public rights-of-way;
protect and enhance objects having a special aesthetic interest or
value; regulate the use of advertising media upon or near streets
and other public places; prevent destructive visual overcompetition
among occupants of commercial properties; facilitate the reasonable
needs of businesses to identify themselves in ways harmonious with
their environment; promote an attractive visual character for the
Village; protect and enhance the physical and visual environment of
the Village; encourage the most appropriate use of land; foster, encourage
and provide for uniformity or continuity of visual characteristics
between this community and neighboring communities; and promote the
health, safety and general welfare of the community, all in accordance
with a comprehensive visual conversion and development plan involving
the control of signs and related attracting devices.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
ATTRACTING DEVICE
Any device, other than a sign, such as a banner, pennant,
bunting, streamer, colored strip or panel, flame, decorative light,
trade flag or similar device, which is visible from a public street
or sidewalk, including a device on or behind a window or glass door
and which alone or in combination with other devices or signs or merchandise
is designed to attract the public to the premises to which the device
is appurtenant. It shall not include merchandise or display and promotional
articles and materials customarily used in the sale of such merchandise.
BUILDING FRONTAGE
The length of a building fronting a public street or sidewalk.
In computing such building frontage, only the portion of the face
of the building fronting on the principal street shall be counted,
unless such building occupies a corner lot and faces two principal
streets, in which case both such faces shall be counted.
MERCHANDISE LABEL
The informational material found on the actual container
in which goods are customarily sold at retail, such as beverage bottles,
cereal boxes, standard type of gasoline pump bearing thereon in usual
size and form the name or type of gasoline, and so forth.
SIGN AREA
The area, in square feet, of the smallest circle, triangle
or rectangle or other shape which encloses all of the informational
material in the sign, as well as its display backing or border if
different in color, texture, materials or plane from the adjacent
wall, window, sky or other background. For projecting and freestanding
signs, such sign area shall not include incidental supports, though
each face of the sign shall be separately counted, and the combination
of all faces totaled. For three-dimensional symbols, the sign area
shall be the area, in square feet, of the smallest circle, triangle
or rectangle or other shape which encloses the largest figure constituting
a cross section of the symbol.
SIGN HEIGHT
Computed by measuring the distance to the highest or lowest
portion of the sign, as the case may be, used in computing sign area,
excluding the supporting structure or bracing of the sign unless the
structure or bracing is made part of the message or face of the sign.
SIGN or SIGNS
Informational material, such as a word, abbreviation, letter,
punctuation mark, trademark, symbol or shape, as well as a representation
by picture, model, drawing or similar means, which is visible from
a public street or sidewalk, including material on or behind a window
or glass door, and which informs the viewer about the thing referred
to, including but not limited to its identity, location, price, merit
or use. A sign shall not, however, include a merchandise price sign
smaller than six square inches or a merchandise label, and in no event
shall a sign include any flag, emblem, insignia or display incidental
to and customarily or commonly associated with any national, local
or religious holiday.
STOREFRONT FOOTAGE
That portion of the building frontage allocable to street,
store or office level within such building.
Except as hereinafter provided, no sign or attracting device may be erected, altered or reconstructed, except for normal maintenance, without a permit from the Village Board of Trustees or such person or persons as may be designated by the Board of Trustees from time to time by resolution. Such a permit may be granted only after compliance with the requirements applicable to such sign or device and after receipt of a report in accordance with the provisions of §
230-44 hereof. Applications for such a permit shall be made on forms provided by the Village Board of Trustees, together with such other information, such as photographs and drawings, as are reasonably necessary to establish compliance with the provisions of this article.
[Amended 10-7-1987 by L.L. No. 4-1987]
The fee for permits shall be as otherwise provided
by law.
All attracting devices erected for 45 days or more shall be permitted only by special permit, as hereinafter provided in §
230-47.
The Board of Trustees, in appropriate cases,
after receipt of a design report and recommendation by the Code Official,
may, by resolution, permit the following signs or attracting devices,
subject to appropriate safeguards consistent with the purposes of
this article.
A. Ground signs: for each building in a nonresidential district or any nonresidential building in a residential district which is set back more than 10 feet from the curbline of the nearest sidewalk or public street, one ground-mounted sign no closer to the street than the inside edge of the sidewalk, or curb if no sidewalk exists; such sign to otherwise conform to the requirements of §
230-45C.
B. Multiresidential signs: for each apartment or condominium or cooperative building in a residential district, one ground-mounted or wall sign to identify such building; such sign to have a sign area of no more than 0.2 square foot for each foot of building frontage and to otherwise conform to the requirements of §
230-45C. In no event shall the total area of all signs exceed 60 square feet.
C. Projecting signs: wall-mounted projecting signs and three-dimensional symbols, models or representations not extending more than three feet over a public street or sidewalk; such objects, however, otherwise to conform to the requirements of §
230-45C, and such signs also to have a sign bottom height no lower than eight feet above the curbline.
D. Attracting devices: attracting devices erected for
longer than 45 days.
E. Special identification signs: signs on or behind windows to identify occupants of buildings, which occupants lack storefront footage within such building; such signs to conform to all the requirements of §
230-45C except the sign top requirement.
F. Special entrance signs: signs indicating side or rear entrances to stores or buildings; such signs to be no more than two square feet in sign area and otherwise to conform to all the requirements of §
230-45C except the permitted sign area requirement.
G. Signs for retail or service businesses without window space: A building with any retail or service businesses without window space may have, at the front entrance, in a single location, a sign or signs identifying each such retail or service business. Said sign or signs shall comply with all the requirements of §
230-45C, provided that the total area of such sign or signs, taken collectively, may exceed up to 10% of the total area permitted for exterior street level signs.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this article,
no permit shall be required for the following signs or attracting
devices:
A. Sale signs: signs in any nonresidential district, or appurtenant to a nonresidential use in a residential district, advertising special sales or events, which signs may be displayed for a period not in excess of 14 days and which otherwise must conform to all the requirements of §
230-45C, except that the permitted interior sign area may be temporarily increased by up to 50%, all of which increase may be allocated to increase the applicable glass area limit.
B. Construction signs: signs temporarily erected in a nonresidential district during construction or alteration of the premises on which the sign is located. Such signs shall have a sign area of no more than 15 feet and shall be removed as soon as the work is complete. Such signs shall otherwise conform to the requirements of §
230-45C.
C. Political signs: political signs incident to an election, provided that such signs may be displayed no more than 60 days prior to the day of election, must be removed within five days after the election and may not be attached to a tree, post, utility pole or fence or otherwise placed to obstruct vision of pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. Such signs must conform to all requirements of §
230-45C, except that the permitted sign area may be 50% greater than that which is otherwise permitted.