17.30.060 Signage.
Where provisions of this chapter differ from those of Chapter 17.46, provisions of this chapter shall apply. Signage shall comply with all other provisions of Chapter 17.46.
A. General Standards and Guidelines. The following standards and those within Chapter 17.46 shall not apply to FAA-required airport operational signs in the airport operational areas, e.g., near runways, taxilanes and/or ramps. Instead, such signs shall be governed by FAA requirements:
1. Legibility. To ensure legibility, the copy area of a sign shall not exceed thirty percent of the total background area of the sign.
2. Materials. Signs shall be constructed of permanent durable and color-fast materials.
3. Illumination. All illuminated signs shall be designed and illuminated so that no direct light falls on adjacent properties or is directed toward the sky.
4. Public Safety. No sign shall be permitted that, by virtue of the intensity, direction or color of its lighting or the placement of the sign, interferes with the operation of, or causes confusion to, operation of aircraft or motor vehicles on adjoining roads.
5. Maintenance. Permanent signs shall be maintained in a safe, attractive, and orderly condition.
6. Removal. Upon termination of the lease of a use or vacation of a facility, signs related to that use or facility shall be removed.
7. Prohibited Signs. All signs other than those explicitly permitted in subsection D of this section, Permitted Signs, are prohibited.
8. Design Compatibility. All signs on a given site shall have a consistent, integrated design that employs the same or complementary materials, colors, and type fonts. Signs shall be well coordinated with site landscaping, lighting and building architecture.
9. All signage on the air side of site or structures shall comply with FAA standards.
B. Definitions. Unless otherwise specified the following definitions shall apply to all signs within the Marina Municipal Airport and Airport Business Park:
“Applied letter sign” means a sign consisting of copy only (letters and symbols) with no frame or border in which the copy is either painted or applied directly in the form of cut-outs to the building exterior.
“Awning sign” means a sign integral with an awning.
“Background area of a sign” means the entire background area of a sign upon which copy could be placed. In computing the background area of a sign, only the face seen from any one direction at a time shall be counted.
“Building complex sign” means a sign located on an access road or entrance drive, identifying groups of buildings served by that road or drive.
“Building identification sign” means a sign identifying the name and/or number of an individual building.
“Comprehensive signage program” means a program establishing the design characteristics of a coordinated set of signs for a single project or area.
“Copy area of sign” means the actual area of the sign copy applied to any background. In computing copy area, straight lines drawn closest to the copy extremities encompassing individual letters, words, or symbols shall be used.
“Directional sign” means a sign designed to guide or direct motorist or pedestrian traffic and identifying vehicular and pedestrian ingress and egress, internal circulation, and location and limitations of parking.
“Directory sign” means a sign identifying either the location of individual building in a complex of buildings or the tenants of a specific building.
“Monument sign” means a freestanding sign having either no supporting base or a supporting base with a minimum dimension of at least one-third of the maximum horizontal dimension of the sign and a vertical dimension of less than twenty percent of the maximum height of the sign.
“Sign area” means, for applied letter signs, the copy area; for all other signs, the background area.
“Tenant identification sign” means a sign identifying the business occupants of a building or space within a building.
“Wall sign” means a sign affixed in any manner to the exterior wall of a building which does not project more than eight inches from the wall surface and does not extend above the parapet, eaves, or building facade to which it is attached.
“Window sign” means a sign affixed or applied to either the interior or exterior of a glazed surface such that the sign background remains transparent and the sign copy is visible from areas accessible to the public.
C. Comprehensive Signage Program.
1. A comprehensive signage program shall be prepared and submitted in conjunction with each project application involving either a multi-tenant structure or a number of buildings associated as one complex. The program submitted shall address all signs to be used, including but not limited to signs identified in subsection D of this section, Permitted Signs. The comprehensive signage program shall conform to all provisions of this section. For all signs, the size, placements, materials, colors, illumination, and other design characteristics not specified in this section shall be determined at time of approval of the comprehensive signage program by the architectural and site design review board. The comprehensive signage program shall contain the following:
a. A site plan and building elevations identifying the location of all signs.
b. Design drawings for each sign or type of sign, specifying the dimensions, materials, type of construction, illumination, size of sign copy, and details necessary to determine the appropriateness of the signage.
2. Once a comprehensive signage program is approved, all signs in that project shall conform to the program.
3. Specific dimensional limitations specified in the following conditions may be waived upon determination by the architectural and site design review board that the submitted sign(s) meet the intent of the standards and guidelines and result in both a functionally and aesthetically superior design.
D. Permitted Signs.
1. Temporary Signs. All temporary signs including real estate, construction and special events signs shall be consistent with Chapter 17.46.
2. Directional Signs. Provision and positioning of directional signs is essential to ensure safe vehicular and pedestrian movements. The city shall conduct a careful analysis of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. This analysis shall identify locations at which traffic movement decisions must be made are to be identified and assign appropriate signage provided at these decision points. The directional signs shall conform to the following conditions:
a. Have a height not greater than fifty-four inches nor less than thirty-six inches and width not greater than forty inches;
b. Be illuminated if the on-site facilities will be used during nondaylight hours; and
c. Be consistent in lettering size and font, color, and materials and complementary to the streetscape, landscaping, and street furniture within the public right-of-way.
3. Building Complex Sign. One monument sign serving as a building complex sign shall be permitted at the entrance or approach to building complexes or other major public facilities and shall conform to the following conditions:
a. The height of the sign shall not exceed sixty-six inches from finished grade;
b. The maximum width of any one vertical surface shall not exceed eight feet;
c. The letters should not be less than eight inches in order to be legible to approaching motorist;
d. Sign copy shall be limited to the name and/or logo of the complex or major facility;
e. Sign should be perpendicular to approaching traffic with clear line-of-sight from approach road, except that a sign may be placed at a forty-five-degree angle to the road at limited appropriate locations, such as a four-way intersection;
f. Sign copy may be placed on all surfaces of the sign; and
g. Sign may be illuminated, either from the exterior or interior, and the source of illumination concealed from view.
4. Motorists Directory Sign for Building Complex. Sites with two or more buildings may have a monument sign, identifying by name or number buildings, major tenants. Sign shall comply with the following conditions:
a. The height of the sign shall not exceed sixty inches from finished grade;
b. The maximum width of any one vertical surface shall not exceed six feet;
c. Sign copy shall be limited to thirty percent or less of the sign area; and
d. Letter height shall not exceed five inches and copy should be designed to be legible to motorists entering the site.
5. Building Identification and Pedestrian Directory Sign. Each building may have one wall sign and one monument sign, each containing the building name or number and logo, and one monument or wall sign serving as a directory sign shall comply with the following conditions:
a. Wall sign serving as a building identification sign shall not exceed one percent of the surface area of the facade to which it is attached except in Zone A-1, which is governed by subsection (D)(7) of this section;
b. Wall sign serving as a directory sign shall maintain a scale consistent with the building to which it is attached and in no case exceed a total of sign area of ten square feet; and
c. Monument sign serving as building identification sign shall not have height exceeding sixty inches from finished grade or a width greater than sixty inches.
6. Tenant Identification Signs.
a. Each ground-level tenant in a multi-tenant building shall be permitted one wall sign or awning sign consistent with the following conditions:
i. Sign area is not greater than three percent of the area of the first floor portion of the facade occupied by the establishment; and
ii. Sign shall be located at a height no greater than eight feet from finished grade.
b. Additionally, establishments providing retail goods, personal and professional services, or restaurant accommodations to the general public are permitted one window sign with a sign area not greater than eight square feet.
c. An establishment located above the ground floor shall be permitted one identification sign consisting of either a wall sign or awning sign; provided, that:
i. The sign is located on the first floor portion of the building facade; and
ii. The sign is within ten feet of the street level entrance serving the establishment.
7. Wall Signs in Zone A-1. Applied signs with a sign copy not exceeding fifteen percent of the exterior wall to which the letters or symbols are affixed are permitted in Zone A-1. Sign copy is limited to the building name, building number, logo of the primary tenant or combinations thereof. Such signs are permitted on all exterior surfaces. Use of bold and simple sans-serif letters and intense colors is encouraged.
8. Public-Serving Directional Signs. Permanent monument signs at approaches and entrances to the Marina Municipal Airport and Business Park identifying the airport and/or major destinations, areas, and significant tenants and providing supplementary directional information. Such signs shall be permitted in public rights-of-way at locations identified in the directional sign analysis (see subsection (D)(2) of this section) pursuant to the following provisions:
a. Sign copy shall be limited to the words “Marina Municipal Airport” or other title selected by the city to identify the municipal airport and associated business park, a specific logo designed for the airport, and the names of major facilities, areas, or significant tenants.
b. Such sign may be either: (i) a monument sign not exceeding sixty-six inches in height from the finished grade or a width greater than twelve feet or (ii) a pilaster sign with a height not greater than twelve feet and width not greater than thirty percent of the height when viewed from any one direction.
c. Letter height shall be scaled to be legible to approaching motorists taking into account differences in travel speed on the various approach routes.
d. Sign copy shall not exceed thirty percent of sign area to promote legibility.
e. All other public street identification, directional, and traffic control signage shall be consistent with a common design for similar signage throughout the city. Sign lettering font, color, and materials shall be consistent with other directional signage within the airport and business park. (Ord. 2020-07 § 2, 2020; Ord. 2003-06 § 1, 2003; Ord. 2000-10 § 1, 2000)