HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAP 2012-03-26 Item 2A - Amendments - Title 19 "Sign Code"City of Tukwila
Jim Haggerton, Mayor
INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor Haggerton
Community Affairs and Parks Committee
FROM: Brandon J. Miles, Senior Planner
DATE: March 19, 2012
SUBJECT: Amendments to Title 19, "Sign Code"
ISSUE
The purpose of tonight's meeting is for Community Affairs and Parks to provide the Department
of Community Development direction on possible changes to Title 19 of the Tukwila Municipal
Code "TMC commonly referred to as the "Sign Code."
BACKGROUND /DISCUSSION
On February 6, 2012, a presentation was made to the City Council regarding the new sign code,
which was adopted in August of 2010. The purpose of the presentation was to provide the City
Council an overview of how the sign code has been received by the community as well as to
initiate the process to make minor amendments to the Sign Code.
Attachment "A" to this staff report is a matrix that outlines those areas of the Sign Code that staff
believes changes are needed. Some of the changes are simply fixing of typos in the original
sign code; other changes require that the City Council provide staff policy direction in order to
address the specific item.
The matrix has been numbered 1 -9. The numbers listed below correspond with the matrix
numbers.
Minor Code Amendments- Policv Direction Needed
1. Commercial Signage on Fuel Canopies
The sign code does not allow signage on fuel canopies. This was an oversight in drafting the
sign code and staff recommends amending the sign code to allow a small wall sign on fuel
canopies. The previous sign code allowed one wall sign on a fuel canopy, up to 20% of the
exposed building face.' While 20% of the exposed building face may seem large, in reality, the
small area of the exposed building face of the canopy structure severely limits the size of the
wall sign. In most cases the wall signs installed under the previous sign code ranged in area
between four and eight square feet.
1 TMC 19.32.160 (2)
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Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends that service stations be permitted to install one flush mounted building wall
per elevation on fuel canopies. The sign can be illuminated, with a maximum size of five square
feet.
2. Streamline Permit Process for Conforming Freestanding Signs.
The Sign Code requires that a permit be obtained for any reface or copy change to an existing
freestanding sign. However, the code requirement is burdensome to owners of freestanding
signs that comply with the City's sign code.
Staff Recommendation
Staff would like to allow refaces and copy changes to freestanding signs that meet the current
code to be accomplished without having to obtain a new permit. Thus, a property owner would
only have to obtain a permit once.
3. Electronic Plan Submittal
Many cities are moving to electronic plan submittals for all types of permits. Electronic plan
submittal allows for permits to be submitted via email with fees paid using credit cards. Review
of plans submitted electronically is also done electronically, essentially the process is "paper
free." DCD is hoping to start accepting permits electronically when the City switches to a new
permit system in 2013. Electronic submittal of sign permits is a logical first step in moving the
entire City to electronic plan submittal. Sign permits are fairly straight forward and have a very
basic review process. Staff would like to encourage contractors to move to electronic plan
submittal by reducing the permit fee for those contractors who take advantage of the system.
2 ZADCD n ClerINBrandon \Riverton DA\CAP, 2012.03.2612012 Memo for merge.doc
Fuel Canopy Sign on TIB
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Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends that the permit fee for sign permits submitted electronically be reduced by
$50.
4. Annexation Areas
The City has two remaining potential annexation areas. Upon annexation, the City will have to
address a range of issues related to non conformities, including non conforming signs. Staff
would like to be proactive in this area by adopting code language that will specify the regulation
of non conforming signs in certain areas upon annexation.
In order to reduce the impact of the new sign code, the City provided a grace period for signs
that met the provisions of the old sign code, but became non conforming with the adoption of
the new sign code. For example, freestanding signs that became non conforming were
provided a ten year grace period before they were required to come into compliance with the
current sign code regulation. The grace period ends in August of 2010. Under the grace period,
freestanding signs can be refaced and copy change, with a permit, provided there are no
structural alternations to the sign. Staff believes a similar concept can be employed for
annexation areas.
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INFORMATIONAL MEMO
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non- conforming upon annexation to the City.
4 ZADCD n Clerk's0randon\Riverton DAICAP, 2012.03.2612012 Memo for merge.doc
North Annexation areas, which includes signage which may become
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Staff Recommendation
Provide signs in annexation areas with a ten year grace period, which would start on the
effective date of the annexation. Signs may be refaced and receive copy changes, with a permit,
during the grace period.
5. Add Airport Way as a Billboard Receiving Area
In order to encourage the removal of billboards within the City, the City Council established two
"billboard receiving areas The purpose of these billboard receiving areas is to provide
locations for new billboards, provided a set number of billboards are removed within "designated
sending areas." TMC 19.08.067 establishes the following two billboard receiving areas:
a. The southern billboard receiving area includes all of West Valley Highway, south of S.
180 Street and all of S. 180 Street east of West Valley Highway.
b. The northern billboard receiving areas includes all properties along East Marginal Way,
north of Boeing Access Road and all properties along Boeing Access Road.
Establishment of the billboard receiving areas was an attempt to to balance areas of the City
where the Council would accept billboard structures, while at the same time establishing areas
in which billboard companies would be willing to locate. The receiving areas are generally
heavy and light industrial areas, which are distant from the urban core and residential areas.
The sending areas are all areas of the City that are not designed as billboard receiving areas
zones (TMC 19.08.069).
An applicant must secure the removal of existing billboards in order to install a new billboard in
one of the two designed receiving areas. Billboards that are to be removed must be located in
sending areas. TMC 19.38 provides a specific formula which requires that the applicant
remove more billboards within the sending areas than is proposed to be installed. To provide
an example of this code at work: a new billboard has been approved to be constructed at the
southeast corner of West Valley Highway and S. 180 Street. The proposed billboard will have
one face and pursuant to TMC 19.38.040 the applicant is required to secure the removal of
three billboard faces. Given that the r billboard must be removed within the designed "sending
area," the applicant has proposed to remove two billboard structures along Tukwila International
Boulevard and one along East Marginal Way.
In administering the billboard code staff realized that Airport Way was not included as a
billboard receiving area and thus, by definition, is a billboard sending area. The properties along
Airport Way have the same land use as those along East Marginal Way. The primary reason to
include Airport Way as a billboard receiving zone is so billboard companies do not propose to
remove existing billboards along Airport Way in order to get credit for new billboard construction.
In staff's opinion, the City should focus on billboard removal within the core of Tukwila
International Blvd and near residential zones.
Staff Recommendation
Include Airport Way as a billboard receiving area.
6. Pole Banners fee and Expansion of Allowable Zones
The Sign Code allows for the display of banners on lights poles within parking lights within the
Tukwila Urban Center (TUC). The purpose of allowing these banners was to encourage a
festive style of signage at commercial developments. Unfortunately, no property owner has
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INFORMATIONAL MEMO
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taken advantage of the ability to install these banners. In talking with property owners it seems
that the permit fee of $222 for the installation is a deterrent.
The banners are also only permitted for commercial properties in the TUC zone. With Tukwila
Village moving forward staff thinks it would be useful to allow properties in the Neighborhood
Commercial Center (NCC) to be able to install pole banners. This would allow the Tukwila
Village site and other properties along TIB to install flag pole banners.
Staff Recommendation
Reduce the permit fee for pole banner applications to $25 for the initial application and $15 for
the renewal; allow pole banners to be displayed in the NCC zone.
7. LEED and Built Green Certification
The City of Tukwila has very few incentives for encouraging the construction of LEED and Built
Green Buildings. The sign code provides an avenue for rewarding development in the City that
is built to reduce its environmental impacts. Recently, Starbucks built the City's first LEED
certified building on East Marginal Way South. As part of this review process, staff learned that
often times the LEED process requires that educational signage be installed to provide
education to users of the site. Staff would suggest a nominal bonus be permitted for LEED and
Built Green Certified Buildings.
Staff Recommendation
Staff proposes that structures that are certified as LEED or Built Green be permitted to have a
one percent increase in sign area for any allowed freestanding sign and a .5% area increase for
all permitted wall signs.
Housina Kee
Staff recommends that the following housekeeping items be amended in the Sign Code.
8. Add notes on Billboard Receiving Maps (Exhibit A and B of Code)
Some confusion exists between the maps (Exhibits A and B of the Sign Code) and the specific
code language regarding which areas of the City are designated as billboard receiving areas.
The maps inadvertently left off some areas of the City that were specifically called out in the
Code language. Staff has applied the specific code language; however, staff would like to
provide a note on exhibits A and B which would clarify the issue.
9. Correct scriber's error in TMC 19.20.050 (4)
A scriber's error at TMC 19.20.050 (F)(4)(b) needs to be fixed. Subsection 5 should actually be
subsection "c This not a policy change, but simply fixes an error in the original Ordinance.
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INFORMATIONAL MEMO
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RECOMMENDATION
The goal of this evening's meeting is for the Committee to provide policy direction on the
proposed amendments to Title 19 outlined above. The Committee can also ask staff to examine
any other amendments to Title 19 that it feels are needed. Based on the outcome of tonight's
meeting, staff will come back to the Committee on April 9, 2012 that represents the
recommendation of the Committee. Staff anticipated a public hearing to be held on April 23,
2012, with possible Council action on May 7, 2012.
ATTACHMENTS
A. Matrix of Proposed Sign Code Updates
ZADCD n ClerINBrandon0verton DAICAf 2012.03.2612012 Memo for merge.doc 7
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