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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2015-06-10TOWN OF ITHACA CODES AND ORDINANCES COMMITTEE Meeting of June 10, 2015 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Minutes Present: Bill Goodman, Chair; Eric Levine; Pat Leary; Eva Hoffmann; Susan Ritter, Director of Planning; Bruce Bates, Director of Code Enforcement; Chris Balestra, Planner; Susan Brock, Attorney for the Town and Paulette Terwilliger, Town Clerk. Absent: Bill King and Yvonne Fogarty PLEASE NOTE: There is no audio recording for these minutes and they were compiled from notes taken during the meeting. 1. Member comments/concerns. Bill G. announced that the Town Board has appointed Yvonne Fogarty to the committee and welcomed her to the group. 2. Sign Law: Discussion of May 13 email to Bill Goodman from Christianne McMillan White. Bill G. gave the background on this email, noting that he was the liaison to the town's Agricultural Committee and that the committee has had various complaints brought to them about the town not allowing signs for small agricultural uses. Bill G. added that he has asked them to be specific on what they would like. He also told the Agricultural Committee that the COC has talked about the problem in depth and cannot see a way to allow off -premises signs without allowing them across the board and risking billboard -type signs. Chris provided a few examples of what could happen if the town permitted off -premise signage, noting that the commercial businesses would likely take the most advantage of being able to advertise their businesses off -premise. She provided the example of the Greentree Garden Center signs that were placed all along their road frontage on Elmira Road when they started their business. Although those signs were on premise (yet still illegal), the business wanted to set up more signage along Elmira Road to attract people to their location. If the town permitted off -premise signage, then a number of other commercial and non-commercial entities could place signage along the main travel corridors in Ithaca, giving rise to visual clutter and distraction. Susan explained that the courts consider allowing one type of use/activity to have signage while restricting another would be content -based discrimination. She added that the committee might want to wait for the upcoming Supreme Court ruling to see if their ruling gives the town any leeway or clear direction that could make allowing off -premise agricultural signs possible. 3. Sign Law: Continue Discussion on Methods for Measuring 3-D Signs - Pictures of Ways to Measure 3-D Signs Documents, dated 6/4/15. The committee reviewed Chris's pictures of barber poles and discussed various ways of measuring, particularly via surface area calculations versus via the largest viewable surface. Bill G. observed that, at first, it seemed measuring the actual surface area would be the truest way, but then problems could arise when trying to add that measurement into the overall aggregate permitted for signs. He surmised that it seemed to penalize 3-D signs where all sides would be counted into the total allowed. After a bit more discussion, the committee decided to measure 3-D signs using the largest viewable surface (measured by drawing a box around the largest part of the 3-D sign). Then this number would be added to total aggregate of signage allowed. Chris will make this adjustment to the Sign Law and will also add a graphic to the law that shows how to measure a 3-D sign. She'll also provide a definition for "largest viewable surface area." 4. Sign Law: Continue Discussion on Murals -Memo From Susan Brock, Dated June 4, 2015, and Portland, Oregon Mural Law. Susan discussed her draft of a definition for murals that would not consider them signs, noting that the town would have to define murals and then exempt them from the sign law and then have a separate article in the zoning code to regulate murals. The committee discussed this idea and thought it was important to refer to the new article in the sign law, so people knew they had to look somewhere else for mural regulations. The committee decided that they would use the City of Portland mural law as a model, with simpler language, utilizing the definition that Susan crafted, and including a reference in the sign law. Murals will be added to the COC work plan for the future. 5. Sign Law: Discussion of Miscellaneous Sign Law Issues - Memo from Susan Brock, Dated June 4, 2015. Susan reviewed her memo. (Attachment). A very short discussion ensued and the committee decided to wait until the Supreme Court decision at the end of June before referring the sign law on to the Town Board. 6. Other Business. Next meeting date tentatively scheduled for July 8, 2015 Potential agenda items: Referring sign law to the Town Board & regulating domestic animals and chickens.