Number
001402
Version
SUBSTITUTE 4
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. NARDELLI,PAWLINSKI, RICHARDS AND BOHL
Title
A substitute ordinance relating to zoning regulations for off-premise signs.
Sections
244-15-2 am
295-95-2 rc
Analysis
This ordinance makes the following changes to the zoning regulations for off-premise signs (billboards):
1. The maximum display area for an off-premise sign shall be 300 square feet in a local business, commercial service, regional shopping, residential and specialty use, neighborhood retail or office and service zoning district. The maximum area shall be 672 square feet in a manufacturing or industrial zoning district.
2. The minimum required distance between any 2 off-premise ground or roof signs shall be 500 feet. This requirement applies to all off-premise ground and roof signs (including signs located on opposite sides of a street) except signs which are separated by buildings or other permanent structures in such a way that the display area of only one sign is visible from the street at one time.
3. The minimum required setback from street lot lines for an off-premise ground sign (30 feet or a distance equal to the height of the sign, whichever is greater) shall apply to all ground signs, regardless of the types of vertical supports, braces or anchors they have.
4. No portion of an off-premise ground sign may project over any public or private driveway.
5. Off-premise roof signs shall be permitted in the local business, commercial service, regional shopping, residential and specialty use, neighborhood retail and office and service zoning districts to the same extent that other off-premise signs are allowed in those districts.
Body
The Mayor and Common Council of the City of Milwaukee do ordain as follows:
Part 1. Section 244-15-2 of the code is amended to read:
244-15. Illuminated Signs and Billboards.
2. Illuminated billboards are permitted only >>as<< [[in those zoning districts]] specified in [[subch. 7 of]] ch. 295.
Part 2. Section 295-95-2 of the code is repealed and recreated to read:
295-95. Off Premise Signs.
2. STANDARDS. The following standards shall apply to all off-premise signs wherever they are a permitted use or a special use:
a. Maximum Display Area. a-1. The maximum display area of any off-premise wall, ground or roof sign shall be:
a-1-a. 300 square feet in a local business, commercial service, regional shopping, residential and specialty use, neighborhood retail or office and service zoning district.
a-1-b. 672 square feet in a manufacturing or industrial zoning district.
a-2. For purposes of this paragraph, where a sign has multiple display surfaces and where one or more sets of the display surfaces are parallel and face in opposite directions, only one display surface out of each set of parallel surfaces shall be counted as display area.
a-3. To accommodate irregularly-shaped signs, each sign face may contain one extension of up to 5 feet along one side of the display area.
b. Maximum Height. b-1. The maximum height of an off-premise wall sign shall be 40 feet above grade except in manufacturing or industrial districts with height limits of 60 feet or higher, where the sign height limit shall be 60 feet. No portion of any off-premise wall sign may extend above the roof line of the building to which it is attached. No portion of a combustible off-premise wall sign may be located above the sill of a 2nd story window or more than 30 feet above grade, whichever is lower.
b-2. The maximum height of an off-premise ground sign shall be 40 feet above grade except in a local business, commercial service, residential and specialty use or neighborhood retail district, where the maximum height shall be 35 feet unless the sign is located within 50 feet of a building having a height of 35 feet or more. The height of any off-premise ground sign is the vertical dimension of the sign as measured from the nearest grade of the roadway to which the sign is oriented to the highest point of the sign. However, where a structure bridges a roadway to which an off-premise sign is oriented and where the structure is within 100 feet of the sign, the height of the sign may be measured beginning from the highest surface grade of the bridge structure.
b-3. The maximum height of an off-premise roof sign shall be 25 feet above the point of attachment to the building.
c. Minimum Distance Between Signs. c-1. The minimum distance between any 2 off-premise ground or roof signs shall be 500 feet. The minimum distance between an off-premise ground or roof sign and an off-premise wall shall be 200 feet. The minimum distance between any off-premise wall and any other off-premise wall shall be 200 feet.
c-2. The distance between signs shall be measured in a straight line, without regard to intervening structures, between the nearest components of the 2 signs in question. The minimum distance requirement does not apply in the following situations:
c-2-a. The off-premise signs are wall or roof signs located on opposite sides of the street from which they are intended to be viewed.
c-2-b. The off-premise signs are separated by buildings or other permanent structures in such a way that the display area of only one off-premise sign is visible from a street at one time.
d. Minimum Required Setbacks. d-1. An off-premise wall sign located on the front wall of a building shall be set back a minimum of 5 feet from building corners. An off-premise wall sign located on a side or rear wall of a building shall be set back from building corners a minimum distance equal to 10% of the sign's width or 3 feet, whichever is less, but not less than one foot.
d-2. For an off-premise ground sign, the minimum required setback from any street lot line shall be 30 feet or a distance equal to the height of the sign, whichever is greater. No portion of any off-premise ground sign may extend into the public right-of-way or project over any public or private driveway.
d-3. An off-premise roof sign shall be set back 5 feet from any exterior wall facing a public street and 2.5 feet from any other exterior wall.
e. Required Residential Buffer. No portion of any off-premise sign may extend into any of the following required residential buffers:
e-1. 60 lineal feet from the rear lot line of any residentially zoned or residential planned development property.
e-2. 50 lineal feet from the side lot line of any residentially zoned or residential planned development property for an off-premise sign having a display area of up to 300 feet.
e-3. 75 lineal feet from the side lot line of any residentially zoned or residential planned development property for an off-premise sign having a display area in excess of 300 square feet.
f. Lighting Reflectors. Lighting reflectors may extend 12 feet beyond the face of an off-premise sign but may not extend into any required setback or residential buffer.
LRB
APPROVED AS TO FORM
_________________________
Legislative Reference Bureau
Date:_____________________
Attorney
IT IS OUR OPINION THAT THE ORDINANCE
IS LEGAL AND ENFOCEABLE
________________________
Office of the City Attorney
Date:____________________
Requestor
Drafter
01017-5
JDO
2/20/01