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Council votes to ease sign standards, keep downtown corridor limits
10/8/2015 11:32:19 AM
By Craig Howard
Splash Contributor
City Administrator Katy Allen may have best summed up the deliberation over Liberty Lake's embattled sign code back in August during the City Council's annual retreat.
"This is not an easy discussion," Allen said at the end of a layered debate.
The degree of difficulty increased even more on Tuesday night as the governing board addressed a second read ordinance to amend the municipal development code which dictates sign standards within city limits. As at the retreat, consultant Greg Dohrn served as moderator.
By the end of the dialogue, council approved a code that will allow for broader interpretations of signs along I-90 as well as signs that can be utilized by the city, Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District and other public entities. Regulations for signage along major corridors like Appleway and Country Vista will stay the same.
Following through on a consensus from August, council agreed to dissolve an overlay area around the Harvard Road/Liberty Lake Road interchange where large free-standing signs had been barred. Removing the restriction means businesses in and around the well-traveled area can now utilize signage up to 30 feet tall.
Council also agreed to allow electronically changeable message signs (ECMS) along the I-90 corridor on properties within 250 feet of the freeway. Dohrn emphasized that the city will have authority to determine the brightness, duration of the message and message transition. There will be no limits on the color used on the ECMS, which will be allowed to run at any hour of the day.
"I believe the design controls will be sufficient to protect the dignity that we have come to expect in Liberty Lake," said Council Member Dan Dunne.
Council Member Bob Moore brought up a request he had made back in the summer to Dohrn and city staff regarding potential impacts of widespread ECMS. Amanda Tainio, planning and building services manager, told Moore and his council colleagues on Tuesday that there are 60 potential properties that could utilize ECMS along the corridor.
"That's significant when you look at the possibility of 60 electronically changeable message signs in that area," Moore said. "The planning commission didn't have that information when they made their recommendation (approving ECMS) to council."
Representatives of local businesses spoke in support of ECMS on Tuesday. Many of the voices were familiar to those around the dais.
"It's not going to be much different from what we have right now," said Jordan Dummit of R'nR RV, who emphasized ECMS used by the business would display the company logo along with images of various RV brands.
Eric Rock, a Liberty Lake resident and owner of Consign Furniture, said the prospect of relocating into the long vacant Ashley Furniture site on Country Vista Road would be an uphill battle without ECMS.
"We're not a big box retailer," he said. "It's hard to think what kind of risk we would entail without proper signage."
Mayor Pro Tem Cris Kaminskas said she originally opposed the idea of ECMS on I-90 until hearing of challenges faced by businesses like Allsport, which eventually ran out of building space for advertising purposes.
"I think it's something we can handle," Kaminskas said.
Mayor Steve Peterson said he counted 63 large signs on a recent drive between the Barker exit and the Spokane Airport. Less than 10 percent, Peterson said, featured electronically changeable messaging. The new policy still leaves entities beyond 250 feet from I-90, like the HUB Sports Center, facing the same sign exclusions mapped out in the old code.
While council agreed that public entities should be able to utilize ECMS to post notices and promote various events, opinions were divided on the issue of retailers along Appleway and Country Vista incorporating the same technology. Council Member Keith Kopelson said such signs around town would "impact the ambiance" of Liberty Lake.
Moore said he had concerns about Liberty Lake "becoming like Sprague Avenue or Spokane Valley."
"One of the things that makes Liberty Lake a unique community is our sign code," he said. "I have no problem with electronic changeable message signs along I-90, but I do along these corridors."
Council Member Odin Langford countered, saying the city had a responsibility to support retailers in all parts of town.
"It's hard for me to say that I'm for the businesses on I-90 but not for the businesses along these corridors," he said.
Charles Matthews of the planning commission said he and his colleagues recommended ECMS along Appleway and Country Vista "because businesses here cannot survive on Liberty Lake business alone."
"We're seeing a lot of empty storefronts," Matthews said. "We need to help our local businesses."
Jeff Sitton, another member of the planning commission, said, at one time, he was "one of the biggest opponents of changing the sign code" but now sees the importance of a code that facilitates promotion that translates to business success. The resulting tax revenue "helps pay for the construction of pools and other things," Sitton said.
In voting "to keep the integrity of the downtown business corridor," Kaminskas said retailers cannot always blame a restrictive sign code for their struggles. Some existing signs are difficult to read, she said, while issues like customer service and pricing also come into play. She added that a citywide wayfinding sign program with uniform placards could still be revisited.
"Sometimes it's just poor marketing, not just missing signs," she said.
Council Member Shane Brickner said he supported ECMS within the city based on conversations with local business owners as well as some outside the city who said they would not consider locating in Liberty Lake because of overly stringent sign standards.
Ultimately, council voted 4-2 to delete ECMS within the downtown corridor from the revised development code. Kaminskas, Kopelson, Moore and Dunne were in the majority. Langford and Brickner opposed the measure. Council Member Hugh Severs missed the meeting with an excused absence.
In other city news:
• Council moved from a first read to second read and approval of Ordinance 224, adopting a policy for abatement of chronic nuisance properties. Allen said the ordinance would give law enforcement more authority to deal with suspected drug houses and other properties that create a public safety concerns.
• City Engineer Andrew Staples presided over a workshop on Tuesday regarding potential traffic issues and calming measures on Mission Avenue. Some 600 employees are expected to eventually be in place at the new Comcast office at the Meadowwood Technology Campus. The building is currently under construction. The city is proposing a roundabout at Mission and Molter to deal with the increase in traffic while Brickner has led the campaign for a right-turn only exit out of the facility onto Mission and a dedicated entrance to the north.
• The Liberty Lake Police Department will host the fifth annual Domestic Violence Symposium from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 24 at the LLPD precinct, 23127 E. Mission Ave. Police Chief Brian Asmus has described the free event as "an opportunity to have open and honest discussion, in a safe environment, about the many aspects of domestic violence that people are often afraid to discuss."
• City Hall will be the site of a public meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. today (Oct. 8), to discuss ideas for Orchard Park, the city's newest greenspace project. Attendees can provide feedback and learn about the proposed schedule for the park's master plan and construction.
• The city announced distribution of funds to local nonprofits from $10,000 approved earlier this year. Rotary East received $5,000 toward two soap box derby cars utilized by children with special needs. The HUB was granted $2,500 as was the Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council.
• Council approved a project management contract with OAC Services Inc. for Town Square, phase II, which includes an aquatic facility and community center. Thaxton Parkinson, PLLC, was approved as legal representative for the project.
• Allen said Gov. Jay Inslee is tentatively expected to visit the Comcast facility under construction on Oct. 27. A time for the visit has yet to be announced.
• The next City Council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at City Hall.
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