Presented to: Planning Commission

August 5, 2015

John Harrington, Planning and Development Services

CITY OF TACOMA BILLBOARDS REGULATIONS Proposed Amendment to TMC 13.06.521M – General Sign Regulations

Work Plan Review regulations

New billboards Maintenance Design Landscaping Dispersal Size Lighting Buffers Height Location (Zoning)

2

New Billboard Signs CWG made no recommendations

Staff Recommendations Number cap - 311 faces, 169 structures, 93,684 sq ft

Banked square footage from standstill agreement – available once all faces in non-billboard zones are removed.

Code compliance for billboard structures not meeting code when constructed, concomitant agreements and billboards in the right-of-way.

Permit pedestrian-scale signage in C-1, some mixed-use (NCX, CCX, UCX, CIX) and all downtown zones (including DR) (size, dispersal, location).

3

Pedestrian Scale Signage

4

Design CWG recommendations

Retain, except for: 5 degrees of perpendicular

Cantilevered and off-set

Maximum 10 ft setback

Staff Recommendations

Concur with CWG adjustments

Allow billboard on site with a existing pole sign 300 feet dispersion from on-site pole sign

5

Design

6

• More than one face/side

• Off-set/cantilever • Over top of building

• Not perpendicular

• Setback > 10 ft

Dispersal CWG recommendations

200 ft or less in Industrial zones and CIX

300 ft or less in CCX, UCX

CWG split for commercial and downtown

100-400 range in C-2, PDB

100-500 ft range DCC, DMU, WR

Staff Recommendations 500 ft for faces over 300 sf

300 ft for faces 300 sf or less

200 ft for wall mounted faces downtown

7

Dispersal

8

500 feet from 672 sf face

~300 feet to 288 sf face

Over concentration 4 billboards in 366 ft

Size CWG recommendations

Max 300 sf in non-industrial zones

Max 672 sf in industrial zones

CWG split for mixed use, commercial and downtown

300-672 range in mixed use and commercial

378-672 range downtown

Staff Recommendations Concur with CWG recommendations

Possible 672 sq ft in UCX, CCX, CIX, HMX (appropriate scale with on-site buildings and overall site size) Permitted, conditioned use with director approval?

9

Bulletin

48’ Wide

14’ Tall

672 Sq. Feet

Poster

24’ Wide 12’ Tall

288 Sq. Feet

Junior Poster 72 Sq. Feet

6’

12’

Billboard size comparison

Size

11

672 sf 288 sf

Buffers CWG recommendations

Buffer to Residential districts:

100 ft in industrial zones

250 ft in commercial and mixed use zones

No recommendation for downtown

Buffer to sensitive uses (parks, schools, churches, etc)

250 ft or less in industrial and downtown zones

100 ft or less in commercial and mixed use zones

Buffer to billboard prohibited and overlay districts

250 ft or less in industrial and commercial zones

No recommendation (100-300 range) in mixed use and downtown zones 12

Buffers Staff Recommendations

Buffer to Residential* zones: Modify commercial and mixed use zone

o 100 ft if billboard structure is 30 ft or less in height

Buffer to sensitive uses (parks, schools, churches, etc) 100 ft or less in all zones

LPC review if located within 250 ft of historic structure

Buffer to prohibited zones (SHR,DR,RCX,NCX,C-1,T) 100 ft for all billboards

Buffer to prohibited overlay districts (VSD,HIST,CONS) 100 feet for all billboards

*Add URX and NRX to residential zones for buffering

13

14

250 foot buffers (Grey areas)

15

100 foot buffers (Grey areas)

Height CWG recommendations

Retain 45 ft maximum PMI zone

No recommendation outside the PMI zone

2/3 of CWG voted for 35-45 ft

Staff Recommendations 30 ft maximum if located

located within 500 ft of R-Dist, SHR, VSD, HIST, CONS; except downtown building mounted can be 40 ft high.

40 ft or 5 feet over the height of the tallest building (whichever is less) if located

more than 500 ft from a Residential, SHR, VSD, HIST, CONS district

16

Height Examples

17

~30 ft high 30 ft high

35 ft high

40 ft high

35 ft high

Location (Zones) CWG recommendations

Add 3 mixed use zones – UCX, CCX, CIX

Add 3 downtown zones – DCC, DMU, WR (wall signs)

Add 1 commercial zone – PDB

Staff Recommendations In addition to CWG add:

HMX

18

Wall Signs

19

Sign Locations by Zoning Commercial 117 faces - T 10 - C-1 4 - C-2 103 Industrial 91 faces - M-1 52 - M-2 29 - PMI 10 Downtown 38 faces - DCC 5 - DMU 5 - DR 10 - WR 18

Mixed Use 58 faces - RCX 1 - NCX 37 - CCX 14 - UCX 2 - CIX 4 Shoreline 4 faces - S10 4 Residential 3 faces - R-2 2 - R-4 1 Red = billboards currently permitted

Green = new zones consensus

Companion Agreement Prerequisites to allow adoption of the new code

without amortization clause

Basic Parameters

Overall reduction as a percentage of existing signs

Removal of specific, objectionable billboards

Removal from specific zones/areas

Removals/modifications to bring sign into conformance (size, height, lighting, dispersion, etc.)

21

22

Date Event

March 24 City Council – Resolution No. 39145

May – Sept. Discussions with Clear Channel

June – Sept. Community Outreach – Stakeholders, Billboards Community Working Group, Neighborhood Councils, Business District Associations, interested parties

June – August Planning Commission - Review

August 11 City Council – Study Session

September 16 Planning Commission – Review task force recommendations and set date for hearing

September IPS Committee – Status update

October 7 Planning Commission – Public Hearing

October 21 Planning Commission - Recommendation

November 17 City Council – Study Session and Public Hearing

November IPS Committee – Recommendation

December 1 City Council – First reading of ordinance to adopt amendments

December 8 City Council – Final reading of ordinance to adopt amendments

Tentative Schedule (as of August 5, 2015)