05/18/1988 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council McNutt Room--City Hall May 18, 1988 11:30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Freeman Holmer, Ruth Bascom, Robert Bennett, Debra Ehrman, Cynthia Wooten, Jeff Miller, Emily Schue, Roger Rutan. Mayor Obie called to order the adjourned meeting of May 11, 1988. I. ITEMS FROM CITY COUNCIL, MAYOR, AND CITY MANAGER e A. Revisions to Sign Code Mayor Obie said that he would not be present at the council meeting the following Monday eveni~g when the Sign Code revisions would be brought to the council. He said that Deputy Public Works Director Terry Smith is in the audience today to briefly discuss the proposed revisions and and answer any questions. Mr. Smith distributed a corrected copy of the ordinance and briefly discussed the changes being made to the code. He noted that language dealing with the content of signs has been removed. Signs are discussed in terms of the type of structure and type of sign. The part of the ordinance dealing with the geographic and site restrictions remain as is, while the .portion about the type of signs has been removed. Mr. Smith discussed the portions of the ordinance regarding temporary signs, special signs, and "exempt" signs. Mr. Smith concluded by saying that the staff has attempted to create a situation where nearly all existing signs will remain unaffected by the interim code. Any sign not allowed by the existing code because of size, height, or structure, would still not be allowed. Ms. Wooten observed that the interim Sign Code leaves unclear whether or not murals are allowed in the City. She said she is concerned about this situa- tion. She did not want this to be a permanent prohibition in the Sign Code. Mr. Smith said there is a section in the existing code describing mural regulation and the permitting process. The standards were that a mural could be permitted if it was noncommercial in nature. Due to various court ac- tions, the City has not been able to legally distinguish between commercial and noncommercial ~peech as the likely outcome of a court test. Because the City is unable to make this distinction, it would be in the position of allowing all murals regardless of content. For this reason, in the interim code, the section on murals has been removed and language has been included regarding building highlights and decorations. He said that simple, geomet- ric, abstract designs would be allowed by this language, but more representa- e MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 18, 1988 Page 1