Billboard Regulations Amendment City of Tacoma Planning and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Billboard Regulations Amendment City of Tacoma Planning and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Billboard Regulations Amendment City of Tacoma Planning and Development Services City Council Study Session November 17, 2015 Overview Continuation of process to resolve billboard regulatory issues and litigation - 2011 Code amendment (3

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Billboard Regulations Amendment

City of Tacoma Planning and Development Services City Council Study Session November 17, 2015

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Overview

 Continuation of process to resolve billboard regulatory issues and litigation

  • 2011 Code amendment (3 faces comply, amortization)
  • Standstill Agreement
  • Community Working Group (March 2015 report)

 Planning Commission

  • Task Force, Recommendation to Council

 Staff Alternative

  • Based on CWG framework, Standstill Agreement,

Planning Commission recommendations, and meetings with billboard owners

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Community Goals

 Reduce the number of billboards  Protect sensitive areas  Avoid continuing legal disagreements

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Standstill Agreement

 Dismiss existing lawsuit  City stays enforcement, including amortization  Agree to meet and confer to determine if a permanent solution can be found

  • Focus on consolidation program to remove specified signs

from designated areas in exchange for bulletin-sized static billboards

 Clear Channel relinquished “banked” sign permits

  • To be credited as part of an exchange program

 Clear Channel removes 31 billboard faces  Clear Channel performs maintenance on 14 other billboard structures  If fail to reach agreement, either may resume lawsuit

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Community Working Group

Overall Conclusions

 An exchange mechanism is needed to accomplish the desired changes:

  • Reduce the number of billboards through consolidation
  • Eliminate billboards from problematic areas
  • Needs to be sufficiently attractive to result in action

 The locations in which billboards are allowed can be expanded

  • Depending on characteristics of billboards

 Development standards (size, height, etc.) can also be loosened

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Community Working Group

Recommendations

 New Zones (DCC, DMU, WR, UCX, CCX, CIX, PDB) added to old zones (C-2, M-1, M-2, PMI)

  • No consensus on C-1, T and NCX

 Size – Allow 672 sq. ft. in Industrial zones  Height – No recommendation

  • Mix of 30 ft., raise to 35 ft., or greater than 35ft.

 Buffers – Reduce buffers (100-300 feet range)  Dispersal – Reduce dispersal (100-300 feet range)  Design – Eliminate most design and development standards  Illumination – No digital  Landscaping/Maintenance – Retain existing requirements

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Planning Commission

Overall Conclusions

 A new exchange mechanism can incentivize desired changes, but amortization should be retained to ensure progress

  • Exchange program should incentivize a shift to wall-mounted

billboards

 The locations in which billboards are allowed can be expanded

  • New areas should be limited to wall-mounted billboards

 Development standards (size, height, etc.) can also be loosened

  • Particularly for wall-mounted billboards in the downtown
  • Large freestanding billboards are not appropriate anywhere

 Council needs to strongly consider outstanding legal questions

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Planning Commission

Recommendations

 New Zones (DCC, DMU, WR, UCX, CCX, CIX, *NCX, PDB) added to old zones (C-2, M-1, M-2, PMI)

  • New zones limited to wall-mounted billboards
  • Freestanding billboards only allowed in old zones

 Exchange Program - New signs allowed though use of “credits” generated by removals

  • Ratios incentivize conversion to wall-mounted billboards

 Size – No change to size allowance (300 sq. ft.)

 Wall signs can be larger, with staff review

 Height – Modifications to height allowances

  • Raise to 35 ft. for signs away from sensitive areas
  • Reduce height limit in PMI from 45 ft. to 30/35 ft.
  • Wall signs can be taller, with staff review
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Planning Commission

Recommendations (continued)

 Buffering – Reduce from 500 ft. to 250 ft.

  • Additional reductions for wall-mounted signs and within downtown

 Dispersion – Reduce from 500 ft. to 300 ft.

  • Additional reductions for wall-mounted signs and within downtown

 Design Standards – Reduces most standards

  • Prohibit off-set, over-cantilevered, and
  • verhanging buildings
  • Require efficient lighting and lights be
  • ff from 12-5 am

 Amortization – Retain with additional grace period

  • 3 years for billboards in sensitive zones
  • 5 years for other nonconforming billboards
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Potential Alternative

 Opportunity for separate agreement to ensure progress  Must meet overall Plan intent and important community priorities

  • Based on CWG framework, Standstill Agreement,

Planning Commission recommendations, and meetings with billboard owners

 Principles

  • Signification reduction
  • Protection of sensitive areas
  • Avoid continuing legal disagreements
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Staff Alternative

 Special Compliance Agreement

  • Commitment to significant removals
  • Specific timelines for removals
  • Removals focused on sensitive areas and certain

negative characteristics

  • Sensitive zones
  • Over-concentration and significantly over-height
  • Over-cantilevered, over or on roof, etc.
  • Additional flexibilities:
  • Alternative to amortization
  • Allowances for pole-mounted billboards in new zones
  • Limited allowances for increased size, height, reduced

buffers, and design standards

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Staff Alternative

Specific Proposal (continued)

  • Overall Reductions
  • 40% overall reduction in

nonconforming signs within 5 years

  • 20% reduction of the

maximum cap on number of freestanding billboard faces

  • Cap total billboard square

footage to existing amount

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Staff Alternative

Specific Proposal (continued)

  • Removals – within 90 days
  • 100% removal of the following CCO billboards
  • Junior poster billboards (72 square feet)
  • All billboards from residential zones (R-2 and R-4)
  • All billboards from RCX mixed use zone
  • All billboards from the Conservation overlay zone
  • All billboards from the C-1 Commercial zone
  • All billboards from Shoreline zones
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Staff Alternative

Specific Proposal (continued)

  • Removals – within 1 year
  • 25% removal from the NCX mixed use zone
  • 40% removal from the DR downtown zone
  • 30% removal of city identified high priority

removals

  • 100% removal of rooftop billboards
  • 50% size reduction of sign at NE corner of

Center Street and Union Avenue

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Staff Alternative

Specific Proposal (continued)

  • Removals – within 3 years
  • 60% removal from T – Transitional zone
  • 34% removal from NCX mixed use zone
  • 40% removal of city identified “high priority removals”
  • 20% removal in city identified “high concentration areas”
  • 38th Street (vicinity of Tacoma Ave and G Streets)
  • Pacific Ave (46th-56th St; and 81st – 98th Streets)
  • South Tacoma Way (vicinity of Pine; 50th-67th Streets)
  • 6th Ave (State to Cedar Streets)
  • Tyler Street (50th – 56th Street)
  • 56th Street (vicinity of 56th and M Streets)
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Staff Alternative

Specific Proposal (continued)

  • Removals – within 5 years
  • 45% removal from the NCX mixed use zone
  • 60% removal of City-identified “high priority removals”
  • 33% removal within each City-identified “high

concentration area”

  • Amortization
  • Existing amortization provisions retained, but

amortization would not apply to owners signing and complying with a Special Compliance Agreement

  • Nonconforming billboards remaining after 5 years will

have standard nonconforming rights

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Staff Alternative

Specific Proposal (continued)

  • Exchange Program
  • Removal credits deposited in bank
  • Removal credits can be used to obtain a permit

for a new billboard

  • Specifically incentivizes:
  • Conversion of freestanding to wall-mounted billboards
  • Removals from sensitive zones and areas
  • Removal of “high-priority removals”
  • Removals from “high-concentration areas”
  • Removal of other nonconforming billboards
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Staff Alternative

Specific Proposal (continued)

  • Additional Zones and Size
  • Open additional zones to new freestanding billboards

less than 300 sq. ft. in size

  • CIX, UCX, CCX, PDB, WR
  • NCX and DR (reduce and cap)
  • Allow 672 sq. ft. (bulletin) size billboards in industrial

zones

  • Allow certain existing bulletin signs to add a bulletin

size sign on the blank reverse side or as replacement for two poster faces on reverse side

  • Allowed after 1 year removals competed
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Staff Alternative

Specific Proposal (continued)

  • Additional Zones and Size (continued)
  • Allow bulletin size billboards along limited arterial

street segments in the C-2, UCX and CCX zones

  • Tacoma Mall Area (38th St, Steele St, Tacoma Mall Blvd)
  • 6th Avenue (Mildred St to Orchard St)
  • James Center (portions of Mildred St and S 19th St)
  • Tacoma Central (portions of Union Ave)
  • Tacoma Place (portions of S 72nd St and Hosmer St)
  • Westgate (portions of Pearl St, Westgate Blvd and N 26th)
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Staff Alternative

Specific Proposal (continued)

  • Other Modifications
  • Retain existing 45-foot height limit in PMI zone
  • Allow 40-foot height in all billboard zones if located more than 500

feet from non-billboard zone or sensitive areas

  • Reduce buffer within mixed-use centers to 150 ft., and 100 ft. for

signs of 30 ft. or less in height

  • Exemption from buffering when billboard is not visible from the

buffered area or other factors provide sufficient protection

  • Allow for limited (up to 5 feet) off-sets for freestanding billboards of

300 sq. ft. or less

  • Clarify wall mounted design standards
  • Sign can not cover windows, door openings or significant features
  • Limit face to no greater than 50% of wall
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High Priority Removal Examples

 Top 4 of 22 structures on Priority Removal List

#1 - 3739 Tacoma Ave S #4 – 3005 6th Ave #3 - 3539 McKinley Ave #2 - 3521 6th Ave

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High-Concentration Area Examples

6th Avenue (Cedar Street to State Street) NCX zone

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High-Concentration Area Examples

South 38th St (South G St to Tacoma Ave) NCX (left) and C-2 zones

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High-Concentration Area Examples

South Tacoma Way (vicinity of S Pine St) M-1 and M-2 (north) zones

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Limited Bulletin Receiving Areas

James Center Mildred St (N-S) and S 19th St (E-W)

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Limited Bulletin Receiving Areas

6th Ave between North Mildred St and North Orchard St

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Limited Bulletin Receiving Areas

Westgate Center

  • N Pearl St (N-S)
  • N 26th St (E-W)
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Limited Bulletin Receiving Areas

Tacoma Central Center

  • Union Ave
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Limited Bulletin Receiving Areas

Tacoma Mall

  • S 38th St
  • Steele St
  • Tacoma

Mall Blvd

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Limited Bulletin Receiving Areas

Tacoma Place

  • S 74th St
  • S Hosmer St
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Next Steps

City Council Public Hearing tonight

Dec 1: Study Session Dec 8: 1st Reading of Ordinance Dec 15: Final Reading of Ordinance

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Billboard Regulations Amendment

City of Tacoma Planning and Development Services City Council Study Session November 17, 2015