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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.2 Alameda County Fair Signage Report CITY CLERK File # D~[5][Q]-[2:][Q] AGENDA STATEMENT CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: September 19,2006 SUBJECT: Informational Report on Off-Site Signagel Advertising for the Alameda County Fair within the City limits. Report Prepared by Mamie R. Nuccio, Associate Planner ATTACHMENTS: 1) June 6, 2006 City Council Meeting Minutes 2) Alameda County Fair Signage within the City of Dublin 3) Posters displayed inside a window of a Dublin-based business 4) Examples of Prohibited Off-Site Advertising Signs 5) Alameda County Fair Banner under City of Pleasanton Sign on Main Street 6) Alameda County Fair Banner Signs on City owned light poles in the City of Pleasanton 7) Prohibited Off-Site Signage advertising the Alameda County Fair in unincorporated Alameda County (Castro Valley) 8) City of Dublin Banner Schedule July 2006-August 2007 RECOMMEN])ATION: ,/\ 1) Receive Staff Report and provide Staff with direction. FINANCIAL STATEMENT: None at this time. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Background At the June 6, 2006 City Council meeting, the City Council directed Staff to review the Sign Regulations, pertaining to off-site advertising and return to the City Council with potential options for allowing the Alameda County Fair to display signage within the City (Attachment 1). The Alameda County Fair is an annual event held at the Alameda County Fairgrounds located in the City of Pleasant on. The Fair is operated by the Alameda County Agricultural Association, a private, non-profit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COpy TO: G:\Agendas\2006\Off-Site Advertising Signage\CCSR Off-Site Signage 09-19-06 (2).doc.DOC ITEM NO. 8.1 Page 1 of 4 G corporation. The Association is completely self-supporting and receives no funding from tax revenue. Advertising for the annual Fair includes the placement of temporary signage on public and private property throughout Alameda County. In the past,. including this past year, such temporary off-site signage has been displayed within the City limits of Dublin (Attachment 2). Since the Alameda County Fairgrounds are located within the City of Pleasanton, any signage displayed in Dublin advertising the annual Fair event is considered off-site advertising. Pursuant to Section 8.84.150 of the Dublin Zoning Ordinance, off-site advertising signs, signs placed on public property and temporary signs are prohibited. Therefore, the Fair signs that have in the past been placed in Dublin are not allowed. There is a provision in the Sign Regulations that allows Dublin-based businesses to display signage in their windows; Fair posters and/or flyers placed in the windows of a Dublin-based business is not considered off-site advertising and therefore is allowed (Attachment 3). ANALYSIS: The City of Dublin Zoning Ordinance provides standards for the regulation and control of all signage within the City limits (Chapter 8.84, Sign Regulations). Signage is regulated for the health, safety and general welfare of the public and to preserve the aesthetic quality of the community. The Sign Regulations address the design, quality of materials, construction, location, and maintenance of all signs and their supporting members and also includes the following: definitions of various types of signage; the process by which signage is reviewed and approved; exempt signage and prohibited signage; and, enforcement of illegal signs. The City actively enforces the prohibition on off-site advertising signs on both public and private property. Any off-site advertising sign located in the public right-of-way is immediately abated by the City's Code Enforcement Officer and/or the Public Works Department. Examples of off-site advertising signs that are commonly found being displayed within the City include work from home advertisements, weekend work, business services, and social groups to name a few (Attachment 4). Off-site advertising signs placed on private property are also enforced and are typically placed without the permission of the property owner. Property owners are generally responsive and cooperative in having the prohibited signs promptly removed once they have been notified of a violation by the Code Enforcement Officer. Unlike most areas of land-use law, the regulation of signs is subject to significant federal constitutional restraints due to the fact that signage necessarily involves "speech" and the First Amendment generally prohibits the regulation of speech. In general, the regulation of signage may not be content-based. However, the courts have indicated that it is appropriate to allow signage advertising a business on-site and prohibit it off-site. Section 8.84.020 of the Dublin Zoning Ordinance defines off-site advertising signs as, any sign which advertises or informs about a business, organization or event, goods, products, services or uses, not available on the property upon which the sign is located. Section 8.84.150 of the Zoning Ordinance generally prohibits Off-Site Advertising Signs and signage in the public right-of-way. Off-Site Advertising Allowances in Surrounding Jurisdictions A survey of surrounding Tri-Valley cities revealed that neighboring communities do not allow off-site advertising (See Table 1). Similar to Dublin's Public Service Banners Program (which is described under Option 1 on Page 3), the cities of Livermore and Pleasanton allow the display of banners on public property for civic events and events conducted by non-profit organizations. The Alameda County Fair has utilized the City of Livermore's Street Banners and the City of Pleasanton's Main Street Banner to Page 2 of 4 advertise for the annual Fair event. In Livermore, Street Banner locations include 4th Street and the North Livermore railroad overpass. In Pleasanton, the Main Street Banner is displayed below the City of Pleasanton sign over Main Street (Attachment 5). The City of Pleasanton also allows the Fair to display banners on the City's light poles (Attachment 6). Banners displayed on these light poles are typically limited to City-related events; however, the City has made an exception with respect to the Alameda County Fair. T bl 1 Off S't Ad f' 'th T ' V II A a e , - I e ver ISIllg III e rI- a ey rea Local Tri- Valley Does your jurisdiction What city code! Does your jurisdiction Jurisdictions permit the display of ordinance sections permit the Alameda Off-Site Advertising restrict the display of County Fair to display Signs? Off-Site Advertising Off-Site Advertising Signs? Si2:ns? City of Dublin No Sections 8.84.150 (F) No and (S) City of Pleasanton No Section 18.96.020 (A) Yes City of Livermore No Section 3-45-040 (H) Yes City of San Ramon No Section D4-307(E) No Unincorporated No Sections 12.08.120 and No Alameda County 17.52.520 Staff conducted site visits in neighboring jurisdictions to determine whether the types of signage being displayed in Dublin (Attachment 2) was also being displayed in other Tri-Valley cities. No prohibited off- site signage advertising the Fair was observed in the cities of Livermore or Pleasanton. A site visit was not performed in the City of San Ramon. Since San Ramon is located within Contra Costa County, Staff presumed that advertising for the Alameda County Fair was unlikely. In unincorporated Alameda County, specifically the Castro Valley area, numerous Fair signs were observed (Attachment 7). Discussions with Alameda County confirmed that such signage was not permitted within the County. Recommended Options for the City Council's Consideration Based on Staff s research and consideration of past enforcement of off-site advertising signage within the City of Dublin and the review of the Dublin off-site signage regulations and other neighboring jurisdictions off-site signage allowances, Staff is recommending two options related to off-site signage for the Alameda County Fair for the City Council's consideration. Staff recommends that the City Council review and discuss these options as well as any additional options the Council deems appropriate and direct Staff accordingly. The following options are not listed in order of preference. Option 1 The first option would be to co-sponser the Fair and include Alameda County Fair banners in the City's banner program. Currently there are 12 different banner designs which are displayed on City-owned light poles throughout the community. The banners are displayed seasonally on a rotating schedule and include activities such as Day on the Glen, St. Patrick's Day, Dublin Pride Week, and the Summer Concert Series Page 3 of 4 to name a few (Attachment 8). Incorporating Fair banners to the City's banner program would require that the City re-evaluate the banners being displayed under the current rotation in order to accommodate additional banners. The Alameda County Fair occurs annually, generally between the end of June through early July. Should the City Council decide to incorporate Fair banners into the City's banner program, the Parks and Community Services Department would bring a design of the Fair banners before the City Council for review and approval. Furthermore, the City Council would need to direct Staff to appropriate funds for the fabrication and installation and removal of the banners, or direct Staff to request that Alameda County pay for the fabrication and installation of the signs. Staff has contacted Alameda County Fair Staff in an effort to determine if the Fair would be interested in participating in the City's banner program if the Council were to incorporate this annual event into the City's Banner Program. The Fair Staff has indicated that they would be interested in inclusion of the City's Banner Program, if Council determines the inclusion is appropriate. Option 2 The second option would be to take no action and direct Staff to continue enforcing the Sign Regulations as adopted which would only allow for posters and/or flyers to be placed in the windows of Dublin-based businesses to advertise for the annual Fair. Any other type of signage would be prohibited. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council receive the report and provide Staffwith direction. Page 4 of 4 /o{<Z prIvate party based on a prIvate nuisance achon~ and indicatmg City pohcy not to spend City resources to brif\.~ abatement actions. +w...hdiMlll OTHER BUSINESS Brief INFORMATION ONLY reports from Council and/or Staff, indudinJ~ Committee Reports and Reports by Council related to meetings attended at City expenlle (AB 1234) 9:22 p.m. City Manager Ambrose adVlsed that a San Ramon/Dublm LiaIson Comnuttee meehng would be held on June 7th at 4:00 p.m. at the Civic Center. em. McCornuck advIsed that she had attended the grand opening of the San Ramon Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant. Dublm was the first and now the largest user of reclaimed water in the distnct. em, Zika adv1sed that he had nothing to report. Cm. Hildenbrand advised that she had attended the recent Tn-Valley Council'meeting, hosted by Danville. The topic was Contra Costa County's Emergency Preparedness Plan, Vm. Oravetz advised that he had attended a Livermore-Amador Valley Trans1t Authority meetll1g with Cm. Hildenbrand, at which tIme the pnce increase was dIscussed. Congratulations to the Dublin HIgh Boys Varsity Baseball Team, which won the North Coast Sectional for the first time in Dublin hIstory. Mayor Lockhart asked Staff If the Council could take a look at the Sign Ordmance at a future Council meetmg and how It related to adverhsmg the Alameda County Fair, Dublin was the only City in the County that dId not advertise the upcoming Fall'. The Fall' belonged. to us as much as 1t belongs to the other C1ty'S in the County. Mayor Lockhart advised that she had attended many semmars and committee meetings during the U.S. Conference of Mayors m Las Vegas, Nevada' June 2-4, 2006, Many federal legislators were In attendance, includmg Secretary of TransportatIon Mineta. ThIS area may become one of five projects across the U.S, to deal with congestion. .. = DUBLIN CITY COllNCIL MINUTES VOLUME 25 REGllLAR MEETING June 6, 2006 PAGt: 194 . I S.2- q;l C1!ob Attachment 1 ? o I <if Alameda County Fair Signage within the City of Dublin .. Location: North side of Dublin Blvd, West side of San Ramon Road Location: North of Amador Valley Blvd, East side of San Ramon Road .- Location: East side of Village Parkway at The Village Green shopping center Attachment 2 ~~, ~. 0 f? Posters Displayed Inside a Window of a Dublin Based Business . i , I ..t , ~ Attachment 3 L-J. I . {or y: Examples of Prohibited Off-Site Advertising Signs -t, '% .,i.:... Location: West side of Tassajara Road, North of Central Parkway Location: Amador Valley Boulevard, East of Village Parkway / Location: North side of Dublin Boulevard, East of Regional Street Location: West side of Village Parkway, North of Amador Valley Boulevard \l.t.\l ~i!d~ .1: ... Attachment 4 Sofe Alameda County Fair Banner City of Pleasanton Sign on Main Street ATTACHMENT 5 (Po + <6 Alameda County Fair Banner Signs City owned light poles in the City of Pleasanton ATTACHMENT 6 "7' /0'+ '(' Prohibited Off-Site Signage Unincorporated Alameda County (Castro Valley) Attachment 7 Spare the Air New Banner Fall Day on the Glen Red Ribbon Holiday Youth Art St. Patrick's Day Dublin Pride Shop Dublin Dublin Salutesl Patriotic Summer Concert Series > ....... ....... ~ ~ =- :: ~ = ....... QC City of Dublin Banner Schedule July 2006 - August 2007 Oct '06 Noy '06 Dee '06 Jan'07 Feb'07 Mar '07 Apr '07 May '07 Jun'07 Jul'07 Aug '07 ~ ~ '1--, ~