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March 3, 2000
Cap on billboards proposedBy KREMENA TODOROVA Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- A city consultant Thursday unveiled an extensive set of recommendations that would limit the number of advertising signs per property and cap billboards in New Ulm at their present level. Addressing a special meeting of City Council, Planning Commission and Chamber of Commerce members, Suzanne Rhees, of design firm BRW, Inc., called for limiting the total area of signs to two square feet per lineal foot of lot frontage, and their number to one wall sign per building face and one free-standing sign per lot. The recommendations also cap sign height at 20 feet above ground level and require "some form" of landscaping around free-standing signs. Rhees made a separate set of recommendations for billboards- which, unlike other signs, advertise a commodity or service located on property other than the location of the sign. Billboards are a source of commercial revenue, and should be considered the principal use of the property on which they are located, Rhees stressed. This means they must occupy otherwise vacant lots. According to the BRW plan, billboards would be permitted only along designated state highways, would not exceed 700 square feet in total area or 30 feet in height, and would be at least 1,000 lineal feet apart. Rhees also said no new billboards ought to be allowed after the new rules take effect, except to replace non-conforming signs. She proposed "a sign credit"- which would let advertisers construct a replacement billboard. To ease enforcement, the consultant proposed exempting some signs- such as residential and professional name plates, or public, real estate and memorial signs - from permit requirements - while still requiring them to comply with the rules. She suggested limiting the time for displaying temporary signs to "four periods a year per property", each no longer than 30 days. In addition, Rhees called for establishing a special "downtown sign district", with separate standards- including a 125 square foot cap on the area of signs; two signs per building or storefront, consisting of one wall or awning sign and one projecting sign; one free-standing sign where space permits; and one "sandwich board" sign. Downtown signs shall be designed to enhance and complement the historic character of buildings in the central business district, Rhees said. They should not obscure or destroy architectural details, and should be made of materials consistent with the corresponding historic period of the building. The BRW recommendations are a starting point for discussion, city officials said. They will be refined by city staff, before going to any public panel. New Ulm's current regulations- which are much less extensive- are part of the City Code. Planning officials requested a review of the regulations last summer, citing concerns of preserving New Ulm's visual appeal. Rhees stressed the limited scope of her study. "Our charge is not to write a new ordinance," Rhees said. "It is to analyze existing regulations, make recommendations and provide sample language from other cities' ordinances, adapting it to the particular conditions."
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