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Council leans toward revisions to sign code at retreat
8/19/2015 6:05:13 PM

By Craig Howard
Splash Contributor 

The debate over signs in Liberty Lake – characterized by the tension between commercial demands and aesthetic priorities – has flown like a red flag since the city incorporated in August 2001. 

At the City Council retreat on Tuesday night, it appeared the winds may finally be shifting municipal standards in favor of expanded and more visible signage, at least along the I-90 thoroughfare.  

While no official vote was taken, the governing board did agree to dissolve an area known as the "interchange corridor," which has traditionally disallowed large free-standing signs within 1,500 feet of the Harvard Road/Liberty Lake Road interchange. Removing the restriction would mean that businesses within the area could utilize signage up to 30 feet high – the current ceiling established by the city.  

Eric Rock of Consign Furniture was one of several retreat attendees who spoke in support of broadening sign parameters on Tuesday. The business has a site in Post Falls and is in the process of moving into the long-abandoned Ashley Furniture location along Country Vista but would be unable to incorporate freeway signage under the current regulations. 

"It would be tough to get our message across," said Rock, who lives in Liberty Lake. "Signage along the freeway is crucial to us in Post Falls."

Jordan Dummit of R'nR RV told council that the retailer was "just trying to identify our brands and what we sell."

"We're one of six RV dealers along the corridor and not all of those are in Liberty Lake," Dummit said. "It's hard to compete when you're only allowed a certain amount of signage and everyone around you is allowed significantly more." 

Council also reached an informal consensus to keep free-standing signs within 250 feet of I-90, a rule that would leave entities like the HUB Sports Center – set back from the freeway – out of luck. Council Member Dan Dunne supported keeping the taller signs along the frontage area where around 100,000 cars pass each day.

"I believe that's where they have merit," Dunne said. 

Council Member Bob Moore expressed concern with the potential number of towering placards that could crop up along both sides of the highway.

"I am unsure about what the implications could be," Moore said. "I think we ought to know how many signs we're talking about. I would like to know that before we vote on this change." 

The governing board also discussed the possibility of electronically changing message signs or "ECMS," as retreat facilitator Greg Dohrn referred to them on Tuesday. Dohrn said he counted a dozen such signs from the western border of Liberty Lake to Spokane on a recent drive.

Dunne and Council Members Shane Brickner, Odin Langford and Hugh Severs said they supported the shift toward ECMS along I-90 with Dunne and Severs specifying that they would vote for the change only if the transitioning message alternated every five seconds instead of the more common three seconds. 

When it came to ECMS utilization by businesses along commercial roads like Country Vista and Appleway, the same voting pattern emerged with the exception of Dunne who said he was still "unsure."

Kaminskas said she had taken an informal survey of around 100 residents regarding ECMS within the city with around 70 percent opposing the idea.

Moore spoke in favor of a more flexible approach to signs, based on "different situations faced by businesses." 

"Let's not change the code, let's make some exceptions and address each situation differently," he said. "That makes more sense." 

Mayor Steve Peterson countered that businesses in Liberty Lake are looking for continuity when it comes to signage.

"I think the core issue, whether you're an investor, a homeowner or a business is to have predictability," Peterson said. "I think that unpredictability hurts the community." 

Council members agreed on the value of ECMS operated by entities like the school, the library, the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District and the city itself, although there is still a question as to whether such signs could be allowed by the public and not the private sector. 

Severs echoed the sentiments of his council colleagues when emphasizing the importance of the city establishing uniform aesthetic standards for any new approach to signs. The list of traits includes message frequency, brightness, variety of colors and overall appearance. 

Dohrn said the sign code would be brought back to council for further discussion on Oct. 6. Since spring of 2014, the city has conducted no shortage of sign code considerations, including stakeholder gatherings, workshops, public hearings and reviews and recommendations by the planning commission, the latest of which formed the framework for the conversation at the retreat. 

"This is not an easy discussion," said City Administrator Katy Allen. "Everyone has their own opinion but there's not much more to go over. We just kind of need to pull it together." 

Comprehensive plan
The retreat began with dialogue about the periodic update to the city's comprehensive plan required by the state every eight years. Dohrn was brought on by the city late last year to facilitate the process of reviewing and revising the blueprint for development. He described how the city has already begun a public review process that has included council, the planning commission, city staff, local developers and service providers, surrounding jurisdictions and residents.

Dohrn added that, generally, stakeholders have said they "don't want to see a lot of change in the plan" although there has been some talk about making the document more user-friendly and addressing future development of the city's central business district. 

Dohrn described an effort to streamline the plan, "reducing the number of goals and policies without changing the direction." The shift would whittle the goals from 147 to 25 and the number of policies from 630 to 225.

"We're just taking similar goals and policies and trying to come up with a more manageable number," Dohrn said.

Moore said he would like to see the city consider "transportation and arterials as it relates to traffic movement," specifically adjacent to the Meadowwood Technology Campus, where a new Comcast office is scheduled to open next year. The city has discussed adding a traffic roundabout at Mission Avenue and Molter Road to deal with the influx in motorists. The Comcast site is reported to have capacity for up to 750 new employees.

"We need more than a roundabout at one location," Moore said. 

Allen said the city has had preliminary discussions with the state Department of Transportation about adding another northbound lane across I-90 at the Liberty Lake Road/Appleway intersection. The city has plans for its own upgrades to the heavily traveled intersection next year.

"Our goal is to design that intersection to develop better traffic flow," Allen said.

Moore also raised the issue of planning commission members who live beyond city limits. Currently, the city allows for two of seven commission representatives who reside outside Liberty Lake. Moore said the policy should be more consistent with the rule for City Council which states that members must be full-time Liberty Lake residents. 

Peterson said the designation allowing non-resident planning commission delegates was instituted shortly after incorporation to foster goodwill with the area south of Sprague that was not included in the municipal boundaries. 

"It was about trying to hold the community together," he said. "Having them as a guidance helps us and helps them."

The mayor added that a number of non-residents own property in the city and the current setup "allows them to have a voice."

Moore said conditions have changed considerably since incorporation with the city more than doubling in population. 

"Council members are required to live in the city – I think it should be the same for the planning commission," Moore said.

City identity
Another aspect of the comprehensive plan that the city is still sorting through has to do with a clear municipal identity. Dohrn said while Liberty Lake is known for having open vistas and being pedestrian and family friendly, there is still no concrete brand.  

"There's this idea of a suburban village but there's not a lot of direction within the plan itself," Dohrn said. "The more specific the direction, the more helpful that will be from a policy standpoint."

Langford pointed to examples like Chelan and Leavenworth known for distinctive themes but stopped short of saying Liberty Lake should concentrate on developing a similar dedicated image.

"I'm not sure if we want to label ourselves like that but how do we identify ourselves?" Langford said. "We all know this is a great place but why has it taken us so long to articulate that?"

Allen brought up the phrase "Come home to Liberty Lake" that was developed for a publication several years ago. The tagline "Live. Work. Play." has also been utilized. 

"We haven't really created a slogan or motto," Allen said. "It's all in our mission statement, but that's fairly long."

Severs said the city shouldn't overlook the preponderance of technology-centered businesses that call Liberty Lake home and the draw it might have for other companies.  

"I think it's critical that we continue this discussion about the identity of our city," Severs said.

Capital facilities
The final agenda item of Tuesday's retreat involved a brief overview of the capital facilities plan, a roadmap of projects slated for 2016 to 2021. Allen said the city will have to decide how to address the remaining portion of the land near Liberty Lake Elementary where the Central Valley School District will build a K-2 facility. The city currently operates the Liberty Lake Ballfields on the site.

Also in the mix is Orchard Park, a large greenspace that would be built in the River District neighborhood. Similar to Rocky Hill Park, Greenstone Homes would donate the land to the city which will cover design and construction costs. Planning and Building Services Manager Amanda Tainio told council that public participation for Orchard Park would begin this fall to stay on a schedule to apply for state grant funding.

While a report from the community facilities task force will take place at the second half of the retreat on Sept. 1, Allen did say the group has made significant progress on discussions about an aquatic facility, likely to cost in the vicinity of $10 million. She said that funding would probably come from a bond vote put before citizens. Finance Director R.J. Stevenson is compiling a report on what an approved initiative would mean to the average home in increased property tax.

Council will also review and compile its priorities at the Sept. 1 meeting. 

In other city news:
• Kottayam V. Natarajan Jr., a commissioner with the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District, told council that warning signs would be posted along the perimeter of the lake in wake of tests that determined a level of one microgram per liter of microcystis, a naturally occurring algae that is known to be toxic. While six micrograms per liter is recognized as the threshold for safe recreational water use, Natarajan said the district "wants to be super cautious about this issue" and is working with the Spokane Regional Health District to get the word out. He said unusually warm temperatures and lack of precipitation this summer have led to an increase in algae. 

• The change order for additional upgrades at the Pavillion Park concession stand was approved unanimously on Tuesday. The bill, which amounted to just over $10,000 after tax, included a floor sink, the relocation of an irrigation line, cedar siding and concrete countertops. The Liberty Lake Kiwanis stepped up to donate the funds for other improvements, including a sink and plumbing. 

• Council approved a consultant agreement with AHBL for the design of next year's Liberty Lake Road renovation and the roundabout at Mission and Molter.

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