§ 20.14.10. Intent.

1.

Signs are considered to be an essential economic and visual element of any community. They contribute significantly to its visual quality, thus influencing perceptions of that community. In communities where there has been an uncontrolled proliferation of signs, the result has often been clutter, confusion, and visual blight to the detriment of that community's image, and to its economic development. However, under proper regulation, signs may be designed and displayed to effectively convey their intended message and to help create a community, which is well-organized and visually appealing.

2.

It is the intent of this Chapter to control proposed and existing signs in the City in order to protect its physical and economic environment, to implement the policies of the General Plan, and to promote public health, safety and general welfare.

The general objectives and provisions of this Chapter are intended to:

a.

Ensure that signs serve primarily to identify an establishment on a site and to direct persons to various activities and enterprises in order to provide for maximum public convenience;

b.

Ensure that signs are compatible and harmonious with their surroundings and adjacent land uses;

c.

Ensure that signs are expressive of the identity of the individual properties and of the community as a whole;

d.

Avoid traffic hazards by minimizing visual competition among signs and by providing clear identification of businesses.

e.

Encourage signs which are well designed and attractive in appearance and provide incentives and latitude for variety, innovation, pleasing design relationships, and spacing; and

f.

Provide criteria for signs to ensure the development of a high quality visual environment.

3.

It is the City's policy and intent to regulate all signs in a manner that is consistent with the United States and California Constitutions, and which is content-neutral as to protected noncommercial speech.

4.

Subject to the property owner's approval, a protected noncommercial message of any type may be substituted, in whole or in part, for the message displayed on any sign for which the sign structure is legal, without consideration of message content. Such substitution of message may be made without any additional approval, permitting or notice to the City. The purpose of this provision is to prevent any inadvertent favoring of commercial speech over noncommercial speech, or favoring of any particular noncommercial message over any other noncommercial message.

5.

When any parcel, land use or structure has not used all of its permissible sign area for commercial messages, then the unused portion may be employed for the display of signs displaying noncommercial messages. In such cases, a permit is required only if the sign qualifies as a structure that is subject to a building permit under the California Building Code and/or City Ordinance. This allowable message substitution shall not create a right to increase the total amount of signage permitted on a parcel, or for a land use or structure; nor shall it allow the substitution of an off-site commercial message in place of either an on-site commercial message or a noncommercial message.

6.

Within this chapter, the distinction between on-site signs and off-site signs applies only to commercial speech messages. It does not apply to signs displaying noncommercial messages or messages providing directional or other factual information.

(Ord. No. 2013-1263, § 1(Exh. A-1), 6-17-2013)