From
Chris Hartmann
Title
TA180601 - Text Amendment - Article 9, Sign Standards. Amendment to the Unified Development Code, Article 9, “Sign Standards”. An Amendment to the Unified Development Code to replace existing standards for signage with new standards governing temporary and permanent signage on residential and non-residential property, defining prohibited signage, murals, billboards, and accent lighting on businesses. (On September 10, 2018, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of this request by a vote of 7-1).
Presenter
David P. Jones, AICP, Chief City Planner
Recommended Action
Approve
Analysis
SUMMARY:
Article 9 of the Unified Development Code governs the design and construction of signage within the City. In response to Council's emphasis on improving the image of Grand Prairie, as well as recent legal challenges to municipal sign codes, several improvements to Article 9 have been developed by staff. These include revising the language of the code to be content-neutral in order to protect the constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech. This is accomplished in the proposed regulations with focus on the size, number, location, and visual appearance of signs rather than the uses to which they relate.
In addition, there is a significantly stronger emphasis on visual aspects of the code with the revised code relying heavily on the use of images in addition to text. Several sign examples are included with each sign type, listing acceptable and not acceptable signs. There is more consistency in how each sign type is presented with each major sign type being given its own individual page, photographic examples and dimensional table. This has the added benefit of insulating the ordinance against the rapidly-changing innovations in sign design, particularly when it comes to temporary signage.
Lastly, there are several signs which staff has identified as not conducive to developing Grand Prairie's image as a quality commu...
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