HomeMy WebLinkAbout0332ORDINANCE NO. 332 (1965 Series)
AN ORDINANCE DECLARING A MORATORIUM ON
THE ERECTION OF ANY FLASHING SIGN WITHIN
THE CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the City of San Luis Obispo as follows:
SECTION 1. That flashing signs, as hereinafter described, shall not be erected
within the City of San Luis Obispo without prior consent having been obtained from the City
Council of said City.
SECTION 2. For the purposes of this Ordinance, "Flashing Signs" are defined as
any illuminated sign other than a rotating sign on which the illumination is, or gives the
appearance of being, interrupted or varied in intensity.
SECTION 3. That this Ordinance shall be effective for ninety (90) days from the
date hereof and shall go into effect immediately as an emergency ordinance for the reasons
that the present sign ordinance restrictions do not provide adequate standards nor controls
for the erection of flashing signs, and the Council hereby determines that the uncontrolled
erection of such signs can create traffic hazards and constitutes a threat to the peace, safety
and welfare of the citizens of said City.
SECTION 4. This Ordinance, together with the ayes and noes, shall be published
once in full in the Telegram Tribune, a newspaper published and circulated in said City.
vote:
F I NA L L Y PA S S E D this 6th day of December, 1965 by the following roll call
AYES: Emmons Blake, Frank Gallagher, Donald. Miller,
Arthur F. Spring, Clell W. Whelchel
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ATTEST:
Va A
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TO: City Council DATE: November 250 1965
FROM: Planning TDirector �. SUBJECT: Flashing Signs
On August 23rd the Council declared a moratorium on f
the Planning Commission to study the problem and make
control of such signs in the future.
The Commission appointed a subcommittee consisting of
Messrs. Charles Albaugh of City Neon, John Freeman of
lashing signs
recommendati
Commr. Abkin
Freeman Sign
and requested
Dns for the
and Evans,
Service.
This subcommittee inspected all the flashing signs they could find in San Luis
Obispo. The only one which all the committee members agreed was objectionable
was the flashing arrow outside Mel Smith Chevrolet. Eleven signs were considered
unobjectionable by all members of the committee, but some felt that the following
had objectionable features:
Obispo Marquee Spudnut facade
Safeway Leon's Toys
Beauty College - Marsh St. Western Electronic Supply - lower Higuera
Fremont Theatre Marquee
The committee was unable to arrive at a means of controlling the rate of flashing
which would prohibit Mel Smith's arrow, but permit the Lamplighter Motel or the
Pancake House.
They therefore considered the possibility of controlling the brightness of signs
and particularly the contrast between a sign and the background illumination from
other sources. The "Western Electronic Supply" sign is a good example of a sign
which is too bright in its present location, but would possibly be inconspicuous
in the heart of downtown.
P. G. $ E. were of great assistance to us by supplying a foot - lambert meter and
taking readings of many signs in the downtown area. Apparently these readings
are not affected by the distance from the source of illumination. It was immed-
iately obvious that this approach would be of no help in controlling the brightness
of signs as seen by an observer. (See attached table.)
The committee therefore fell back on the recommendations made by the sign
industry last year when the Sign Ordinance was under consideration. This included
a definition of flashing signs and proposed to restrict the size of incandescent
bulbbs to 25 watts, fluorescent lamps to 215 watts, and transformer output amperage
for neon lights to 60 milli -amps.
The Commission reviewed the findings and recommendations of the committee and
felt that the controls proposed would be inadequate. They recommend that the
following definition of a flashing sign be adopted:
"Flashing sign means any illuminated sign other than a rotating sign, on which the
illumination is, or gives the appearance of being, interrupted or varied in intensity."
The Commission further recommends that all signs in the future which fall under
the above definition be considered by the Design Review Board, who should be given
the authority to approve, reject, or require amendments to the design of such signs.
Any person aggrieved by the decision should be permitted to appeal either to the
Commission or directly to the City Council.
PC:eg
Enclosure
t k
Foot- Lambert reading on �31gns in Gan Luis Obispo
Obispo Theater
Marquee 400
Flashing red. 10'
Blue 'O.t 170
Premier Music 250
M..V. Street Light 12,000
aTtaf f lc S ignal
Green 1500
Amber 5500
Red 200
.14el Smith" '.Arrow.' 8.00
Fremont Marque
flashing 80
Zusitania "raver ,erv.ice 340
Moon 170
..:'Larson's (Carrige light) 2000
P. G. & E. 100
Holser & J691ley 280
j ... Spudnut 10
Fuller Paint 200
Used Car Lot 507 7000
`Pepsi Cola, Mexican hood 450
Central Coast Ref. 200
E. Electronic 330
250 W. M.V, St. Lt. 20000
4400 W. M-V. St. Lt. (State) 35000 Q5 s ius��f�
Dfpr ON/Sp0
Fisk Tires 400 �C' AND FP�NNINB `?a
ING
Pizza Pantry 250
Time and Temp bulb 2500 _
Gas Light 450 C�K
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