§ 21.11.060. Signs in the public lands and institutions (PLI), residential office (RO), watershed (WS), and parks and recreation (PR) districts.

A.

Applicability. Signs in the PLI, RO, WS, and PR districts shall conform to the standards set forth in this section.

B.

Basic standards for building signs.

1.

Maximum area of permanent building signs. Building signs shall conform to the maximum area limitations set forth in Table 21.11-2.

TABLE 21.11-2: BUILDING SIGNS IN THE PLI, RO, WS, AND PR DISTRICTS
Sign Type	Maximum Number Permitted	Base Area Permitted on a Single Building Frontage
Signplate	1/address	2 square feet
Building Sign on Primary Frontage 6 7		1 sq. ft. per lineal ft. of primary frontage
Building Sign on Secondary Frontage 6 7		0.6 sq. ft. per lineal ft. of secondary frontage
Instructional Sign	Shall be exempt from regulations when in compliance with subsection 21.11.060 F.
See subsection 21.11.040 B.
The maximum sign area that is permitted for primary frontage may be transferred to a secondary frontage provided that the maximum sign area on any secondary frontage does not exceed one square foot for each lineal foot of frontage.
The maximum building sign area for a building or any portion of the building which is setback more than 200 feet from the right-of-way that provides primary access to the site may be increased by 25 percent, provided the building is visible from any portion of the adjacent street.

 

2.

Placement of building signs.

a.

The building signs permitted in Table 21.11-2 may be placed on the wall, awnings, canopies, parapets, or be a projecting sign in compliance with subsection 2.b. below.

b.

Projecting signs shall be limited to occupants that have a minimum of ten feet of occupant building frontage provided that:

i.

All projecting signs shall have a maximum height of 14 feet and a minimum clearance of eight feet from the ground to the bottom of the sign. A projecting sign may be a minimum of six feet from the ground when it is located above a landscaped area or other area that does not permit pedestrian traffic beneath the sign.

ii.

Projecting signs shall be placed on the building so the signs are intended to be viewed by the pedestrians on the abutting street or pedestrian way.

C.

Basic standards for permanent freestanding signs.

1.

Maximum number, area and height, minimum setback of permanent freestanding signs. Permanent freestanding signs shall comply with the maximum number, area, and height limitations, and minimum setback from the street right-of-way set forth in Table 21.11-3.

2.

Sign area proportions. For any freestanding sign, the horizontal portion (width) of the face shall not exceed four times the height of the face.

TABLE 21.11-3: FREESTANDING SIGNS STANDARDS IN THE PLI, RO, WS, AND PR DISTRICTS
	PLI, WS, and PR	RO
Maximum Height	15 ft.	15 ft.
Maximum Area	120 sq. ft.	80 sq. ft.
Number/Frontage	1 per 300 ft. frontage up to a maximum of two
Minimum Separation	200 ft.
Minimum Setback from ROW	None on a class II or greater street; otherwise 10 ft.
Minimum Setback from Side Lot Line	10 ft.
Entrance and Exit Signs
Maximum Area	6 sq. ft.
Maximum Height	5 ft.
Entrance and exit signs, which are permitted in addition to the above freestanding signs, shall be limited to two for each entrance/exit driveway.
If the side lot is adjacent to a residential district then the minimum setback from the side lot line is 30 feet.

 

D.

Supplemental standards for freestanding signs.

1.

Number of freestanding signs allowed.

a.

Lots with less than 300 lineal feet of frontage on any one street may have only one freestanding sign per that street frontage.

b.

Lots with 300 or more lineal feet of frontage on any one street may have two freestanding signs per that street frontage.

c.

No more than two freestanding signs are allowed along any one frontage. Freestanding signs must be separated by a minimum distance of 200 feet. On corner lots, the property frontage on both streets shall be considered when measuring the separation.

2.

Wrapping structural steel supports.

a.

Signs that are eight feet or less in height with exposed structural steel support: The structural steel supports shall have a covering that totals at least four times the width of the structural steel at its widest point and is parallel to the sign face.

b.

Signs that are greater than eight feet in height: All structural steel supports shall have coverings that collectively total at least 33 percent of the width of the sign at its widest point.

c.

The width of the covering shall be symmetrical for all supports. (See Figure 6)

d.

The depth of the support coverings shall not exceed the depth of the sign unless the supports are located on the perimeter of the sign. (See Figure 6)

e.

In all circumstances, the covering shall extend from four inches above the ground to the base of the sign face.

f.

The following materials shall not be the visible covering for structural steel supports:

i.

T-111

ii.

Plywood

iii.

Particle Board

iv.

Sheet Metal of less than 24 gauge

v.

Aluminum of less than .063 inches

E.

Supplemental standards for all changeable copy signs.

1.

Freestanding signs may have up to 30 percent of the actual sign area devoted to changeable copy. Building signs and projecting signs may have up to 30 percent of the actual sign area or 120 square feet, whichever is less, devoted to changeable copy.

2.

Changeable copy may only be changed manually, provided, however, if the business or institution has frontage on a street of class II or greater classification, the copy may be changed electronically or mechanically as well as manually.

3.

Copy which is changed electronically or mechanically shall not be changed more than one time per 20-second period, however, if the business or institution has frontage on a street of class II or greater classification in the Official Streets and Highways Plan, the changeable copy shall not change more than one time per two seconds.

4.

Scrolling copy is allowed if these requirements are met:

a.

The message is completed within no less than two seconds and no more than five seconds.

b.

The complete message remains static before scrolling recommences for no less time than required for other changeable copy signs in the district.

F.

Instructional signs. Signs that comply with the definition of "instructional sign" shall be permitted as needed provided such signs comply with the following:

1.

The signs are not larger than necessary to serve the intended instructional purpose.

2.

The number of instructional signs located on the site are the minimum needed to serve the intended instructional purpose.

3.

Instructional signs shall not exceed six square feet in area.

4.

The signs may be placed on the base of a permitted freestanding sign without the area of such instructional sign, or the background, being considered as part of or added to the area of the freestanding sign.

G.

Menu boards and ordering screens. In addition to other allowed building or freestanding signs, restaurants with accessory drive-through service and food and beverage kiosks may have menu boards, ordering screens, and clearance bars.

H.

Temporary signs. Temporary signs in the PLI, RO, WS, and PR districts are permitted pursuant to Table 21.11-4 as set forth below:

TABLE 21.11-4: TEMPORARY SIGNS IN THE PLI, RO, WS, and PR DISTRICTS
Maximum Area	100 sq. ft. (32 sq. ft. rigid material)
Maximum Number of Signs Per Principal Use	1
Maximum Number of Display Days	60
Lighting	Internally illuminated or lighted signs are prohibited
Motion	Animation or flashing is prohibited
Maximum Height (Freestanding)	Same as permanent signs
Setbacks	Same as permanent signs
For temporary signs involving the sale, rent, or lease of the property on which the sign is located, the time limit is unlimited.

 

I.

Display of commercial flags. In the PLI, RO, WS, and PR districts, a maximum of three flagpoles may be erected on any parcel provided that:

1.

A maximum of three commercial flags may be displayed simultaneously.

2.

The maximum length of the flag pole shall be 30 feet.

3.

The total maximum size of all commercial flags displayed shall not exceed 120 square feet. Subject to the total maximum size of commercial flags, a commercial or non-commercial organization may display alongside a national or governmental flag, one organizational flag not larger than the national or governmental flag.

4.

The corporate or commercial flag may only display the name, trademark, or logo of the business on the parcel and such flag may not be used for other business or advertising purposes.

J.

Unified sign plan. To recognize and accommodate irregular site shapes (which are typically characterized by narrow lot frontages resulting in some buildings with large setbacks and limited visibility to a public street), multiple contiguous lots and/or tracts may be considered as a single site for the purposes of determining the size, number, and placement of freestanding signs permitted pursuant to this section. Solely for the purposes of this section:

1.

The number and area of the freestanding signs permitted, pursuant to Table 21.11-3, shall be determined based on size and frontage of the multiple properties being considered as a single parcel.

2.

After a unified sign plan has been approved by the municipality and a permit has been issued, the sign rights or limitations shall be recorded with the state district recorder's office as a deed restriction.

3.

Revocation of a unified sign plan must be approved by all participants in the plan; all signs on the affected properties must be in compliance with this code before the plan can be revoked.

4.

This section shall not be interpreted as authorizing the erection or maintenance of any sign or display within 660 feet of the nearest edge of the right-of-way and visible from the main-traveled way of an interstate, primary, or secondary highway, or the erection or maintenance of any sign or display beyond 660 feet of the nearest edge of the right-of-way of the main traveled way of an interstate, primary, or secondary highway with the purpose of the message displayed being read from that travel way, in a manner that would conflict with the provisions of Alaska statutes sections 19.25.075 - 19.25.180.

(AO 2012-124(S), 2-26-13; AO 2013-117, 12-3-13; AO No. 2015-138, § 3, 1-12-16 )