Discussion:
Shakopee’s current sign ordinance has issues that could put the City in legal jeopardy, based on its language in certain sections and overlay districts which supersede zoning designations and apply separate standards for parcels within the same zoning district. The workshop tonight will begin a discussion on how to proceed with a rewriting of the sign ordinance that will bring the City to conformity with recent Supreme Court rulings and update the ordinance to better meet best practices.
In this draft, language is added to better define the City’s interest in regulation and sign overlay districts are eliminated; sign standards will be instead based solely on the district a parcel is in. This is to bring equal treatment to parcels located in the same zoning district. This transition is smooth for most districts aside from the Highway Business (B1) District which will see standards equalized from the previous overlays which split the B1 District between Traditional and Contemporary Commercial Corridors. Other Districts will see little change in the current allowed standards for size and height of signage.
Attached will be a draft of the potential new sign ordinance which is based off a national level best practice. This model conforms with free speech and equal treatment rulings by the Supreme Court that provides consistent language for each zoning district in the City while still allowing for property owners to adequately advertise their commercial businesses or services. This model code is a major departure from the current enacted code and will require significant comments from the Board for any new ordinance to be successful. The attached ordinance is a draft and can be changed as necessary.