Planning Commission Agenda and Packet 2019 04 11

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LCityo>Planning Commission Louisville Staff Report COLORADO • SINCE 1878 April 11, 2019 ITEM: Draft Sign Code Discussion PLANNER: Lisa Ritchie, AICP, Senior Planner APPLICANT: City of Louisville REQUEST: Planning Commission discussion on the draft sign code SUMMARY: The City has contracted with Russell + Mills, PlanTools, and Murray Dahl Beery and Renaud, LLP to develop new regulations for signs, and to update the Commercial Development Design Standards and Guidelines (CDDSG) and Industrial Development Design Standards and Guidelines (IDDSG). Staff has worked closely with the consultant team and is ready to share with Planning Commission the draft sign code for their review and feedback. The updates to the CDDSG and the IDDSG will occur at a later date. BACKGROUND: The City has adopted and amended sign regulations over the years, which has resulted in regulations in numerous different documents: • Louisville Municipal Code Chapter 17.24 — Signs on residential property, temporary signs, other miscellaneous sign regulations • CDDSG —Permanent signs in areas regulated by the CDDSG • IDDSG — Permanent signs in areas regulated by the IDDSC • Downtown Sign Manual — Temporary and permanent signs in Downtown • Mixed -Use Design Standards and Guidelines (MUDDSG) — Temporary and permanent signs in areas regulated by the MUDDSG The draft sign code proposes to consolidate regulations for all signs in all areas of Louisville into one document. The draft sign code also includes changes to regulations in response to recent court cases related to the 1st Amendment, changes in technology and site design, to accommodate frequently requested and approved sign waivers, and in response to feedback received during the initial public outreach. DISCUSSION: When developing the draft, staff reviewed all standards currently in effect and found that some standards were working well, while others required changes to meet the feedback initially provided by the business community and the public. The major areas of change include: • Consideration of the 2015 Supreme Court ruling in the Reed v. Gilbert case, along with subsequent rulings. This ruling changed the means in which cities can regulate temporary signs, such as political signs, real estate signs, or special event banners. This ruling requires that all temporary signs be regulated under a "Time, Place, and Manner" framework, and removes our ability to regulate, for