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City staff outlines proposed sign‑code changes; council debates enforcement priorities and digital signage
Summary
City zoning staff presented a package of proposed sign‑code clarifications at the April 21 work session; the changes would clarify permit thresholds, add a public‑interest allowance for informational kiosks and similar devices, adjust the variance standard, and address illuminated canopies and electronic displays.
City zoning staff presented proposed clarifications and amendments to the sign code during the April 21 Des Moines work session, and council members questioned enforcement priorities and the proposed treatment of electronic and window signage.
Eric Lundy, who led the presentation, told the council the proposed changes are intended to clarify enforcement, respond to market trends, and address ambiguity that has hampered consistent application of the ordinance. "Part of that is the sign regulations that I'm gonna be talking about here," Lundy said. He noted the city’s current sign rules sit in two places: the zoning allowances in chapter 134 (what signage a property may earn) and permitting and structural requirements in chapter 26 (the building‑code permitting process). That split, he explained, has led to enforcement confusion.
Major elements Lundy described included:
- Permit clarity: Amend language so that a "prohibited sign" is one that requires a permit under chapter 26 but does not have one, rather than defining prohibited signs by whether they are allowed in the zoning…
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