05/23/1988 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e examlnlng the particular circumstances of each situation. He said a variance for one business does not create a precedent for granting similar variances to other businesses. Mr. Miller asked if there is any way to preserve the code's intent and facilitate the process. Mr. Gleason said this is one of the most difficult ordinances he has ever seen and staff does not want to be put in a position of defending content of the code. He said staff is attempting to figure out a way to get through a logical discussion of the code while it is properly reviewed for the next nine months. Although staff can try, he said it is impossible to make all portions of the code content neutral. Ms. Wooten asked about new language in the community events sign section that requires permits for signs when no practical alternative exists. She said there is always another opportunity for signage. Mr. Smith said that is not the case for community events which are often organized by nonprofit organizations that do not have a large building on which to display signs. Ms. Wooten said it was her understanding that the council needed to adopt an interim sign code because of constitutional issues that required the City to be content neutral. She said the interim proposal goes far beyond that concern. She said the interim code is an extensive revision of the existing code. Mr. Gleason said the code was originally constructed based on content differences. He said the code becomes totally illogical when one tries to make it content neutral, which is why staff has proposed amendments to the interim code. e Ms. Wooten said she is unprepared to make a final decision tonight on the interim code. Ms. Schue agreed and asked, if the City has ,been operating with an imperfect code for this long, why a decision should be made tonight? Mr. Gleason said it is nearly impossible to give coherent answers to people asking questions about the code. He said the City is now confronted with a series of potential lawsuits stemming from the current legal interpretation of the law. He said it is difficult to make a realistic assessment about how much risk the City is currently in from lawsuits. He said staff feels adopting the interim sign code is the best possible strategy. Ms. Bascom said she doesn't appreciate having to adopt an interim code that is still being amended on the evening it is supposed to be passed. She said the requests from several of those testifying that they be included in the discussion process are reasonable. Ms. Wooten said she appreciates the need for an interim sign code. She said she is willing to address the billboard portion of the code, although she said she is not prepared to deal with the size issue. Mr. Gleason said he agrees with Ms. Bascom that staff is not bringing the issue before the council in a timely manner. After talking with other - MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 23, 1988 Page 7