Last night, March 6, 2018, the Surprise City Council considered adoption of the Proposed Sign Ordinance as recommended by the Planning & Zoning Commission on February 20, 2018. The new sign ordinance will go into effect April 5, 2018. The new sign ordinance has been released.
Overall, WeMAR is pleased with the many positive changes to the sign ordinance. Property owners and residents have the ability to place open house and garage sale temporary directional signs. Business owners have access to a wide variety of sign types and locations, all with improved visibility and legibility. Developers and New Home builders have increased signage for directional and on premises needs. Here are some highlights:
- Real estate Open Houses and religious events in non-church facilities are considered Lawful Temporary Events and do not require a permit.
- Several varieties of monument signs for use on and off site.
- Increased types of signage, including roadway arches, festoons, and blade signs.
- Class I and Class II Temporary Signs (A-Frame signs). Residential open house signs will fall under Class I, Larger pedestal and A-Frame signs used in commercial settings will fall under Class II. Pg. 25
- Class III Temporary Signs will be post signs most commonly seen in residential front yards. Pg. 26
- Billboard signs are not permitted in the City of Surprise
- Temporary signs (A-Frame and yard) must have the name and phone number of the contact person responsible for the sign. That may be by sticker attachment.
- Class I Temporary Signs (A-Frame) may be placed in the public right-of-way surrounding the neighborhood the open house event is being held. One sign on each side of the street, no more than 500” from the intersection, may be placed on the main street/s bordering the open house. Once inside the subdivision or neighborhood, an A-Frame sign may be placed at each location a turn is required in order to arrive at the property. Pg. 41 & 42
- Over the fence signs are allowed. Pg. 45
- New Home Complex Signs are increased and varied as are signs inside Active Single-Family Subdivisions. Pg. 49
- Commercial building mounted signs may now be placed on building sides that face streets and parking lots.
- Multiple building wall signs are allowed.
- Window signs are allowed up to 40% window coverage and do not count toward building wall signage.
- There are six monument sign types for use in combination or separately at commercial complexes. Some have the ability to vary height depending on distance away from residential neighborhoods. Pg. 61
- Electronic Messaging Centers (EMCs) are allowed in specific areas. Pg. 77
- Comprehensive Sign Programs are still available should a commercial developer require signage changes or signage not addressed in the sign ordinance. Pg. 83
- A due process system has been created in the event a sign owner is cited by the City for violation of the sign ordinance. Pg. 86
Below are WeMAR’s comments to the City Council last night:
WeMAR is pleased overall with the current draft sign ordinance. We still have a couple of concerns:
1 – Temporary Signs at commercial complexes:
We are concerned about businesses located in older commercial developments having limited or no visibility from the parking lot or street.We suggest the City Council include the following language previously suggested by staff:
“Properties zoned for commercial uses may utilize one (1) Class II Temporary sign per 200 linear feet of street frontage. Said signs may be placed adjacent to, but not within any right-of-way, median, vehicle or bicycle travel lane, or sidewalk, or within any sight visibility triangle as outlined in Standard Details 4-01 and 4-02 of the Surprise Engineering Development Standards.”We believe this additional language will help to address the much discussed, and of great concern, problem of small businesses located in unseen areas of existing commercial centers with little or no visibility to the street and/or parking areas, as well as businesses with no access to monument signage.
While we are pleased with the increased signage for new commercial complexes in the proposed sign ordinance, these provisions do nothing to help existing businesses in retail, medical, office and industrial complexes built within the past 15 years or so.
2 – Page 85, Section 113-16 B2: This item requires a business with a functioning, intact, performing sign to remove that sign for no other reason than that it has been standing over 20 years. We see no compelling government interest in requiring signage in good repair to be taken down. We request this item be deleted.
We appreciate the city being concerned with adequate, visible and legible signage, the changes that have been made, and the increased types of signage.
WeMAR thanks Mr. Kuhfuss, Mr. Fitzer, the Planning & Zoning Commission and you for your time and attention to us and other stakeholders.
We look forward to the many positive changes include in this proposed sign ordinance.
Thank you to all the agents and brokers who participated in the very long process of impacting the City of Surprise Sign Ordinance. I truly appreciate your survey answers, letters to the city, and attendance at City meetings. You made a dramatic difference and helped preserve property rights for property owners, business and tenants.
As this sign ordinance takes effect, please let me know how you and your clients are impacted. Any changes you wish to suggest, please forward those suggestions to me. We will revisit this ordinance next year.