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Planning commission recommends city council adopt updated sign code; council hearing set for April 7
Summary
Staff presented a package of sign‑code updates including revised sign categories to reflect Reed v. Town of Gilbert, clarified construction‑sign rules, expanded permitted temporary sign locations and new time limits; the commission recommended council adopt the ordinance and asked council to review a separate numeric limit on freestanding noncommercial signs.
Associate planner Kopika Nair told the commission the proposed sign‑code amendments would update sign categories, streamline permits for city‑initiated signage, clarify construction sign standards (one sign per contractor or design professional, standard size/height limits), add new public locations for event signage (including 801 Magnolia Avenue and bridge railings near Piedmont Community Hall), and set removal timeframes for temporary signs.
"Event related signs shall be removed 10 days after an event, and all other signs must be removed 6 months after the posting of the sign," Nair said during the presentation. Staff also said the revisions align the code with Reed v. Town of Gilbert and add illumination standards, prohibited sign types and enforcement language.
The commission voted to recommend that city council adopt the ordinance as presented; that adoption will be considered by council on April 7. Commissioners unanimously approved forwarding the ordinance and noted CEQA exemptions cited in staff reports. Commission members nonetheless directed staff to clarify public communications on certain items — specifically the numeric limit for temporary freestanding noncommercial signs and flag/flagpole language — before the council hearing.
The recommended ordinance updates include a mix of regulatory and administrative changes intended to provide clarity to residents, contractors and city staff and to reduce sign‑related visual clutter while responding to recent case law.
