05/27/1975 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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- -- (I-A-l) e MINUTES EUGENE CITY COUNCIL May 27, 1975 Adjourned meeting of the Common Council of the city of Eugene, Oregon, was called to order by His Honor Mayor Lester E. Anderson at 7:30 p.m. on May 27, 1975, in the Council Chamber. The following Council members were present: Neil Murray, Gus Keller, Wickes Beal, Tom Williams, Raymond Bradley, D. W. Hamel, and Edna Shirey. Eric Haws arrived late. I - Greetings to the Finnish National Team - Mayor Anderson introduced Dave PompeI of the Parks and Recreation Department, who introduced the coach and members of the visiting Finnish National Track Team. II - Public Hearings A. Appeal from Sign Code Board Denial of 1st National Bank Sign at Valley River Center (Federal Sign & Signal Corporation, applicant) Recommended Denial by Sign Code Board on March 31, 1975. The Sign Code Board had granted partial variance allowing one exterior sign on the east side, the size to be determined by the length of the exterior portion of the wall (3 square feet per lineal foot). Federal Sign and Signal Corporation is requesting a permit to install 2 single-faced signs because the new Lipmans will obscure the existing sign. The request was to relocate and install two 100-foot signs on the east face of Valley River Center, which would be visible from the parking lot north and south of Lipmans Department Store. The variance granted in 1970 by the Board allowed up to 50 square feet of outside signing for businesses not having exterior wall space. The Board denied the dual sign concept. Public hearing was opened. Neil Ellsworth, 1670 West 7th, representing Federal Sign and 1st National, told the Council that the appeal was based on the basic code concepts of fairness and reasonableness. First National is making their request due to circumstances beyond their control - the building of Lipmans. Before development, their advertising sign exposed their location to the entire parking lot area on the east side and to the highway that passes by the shopping center. With the placement of Lipmans they no longer have that position of total exposure. With one sign, they would be exposed to only one side of the parking lot. Jim Black, 1615 Ridgefield, and an employee at First National, noted that a customer recently spent 1/2 hour looking for the branch after he arrived at Valley River Center. He felt that one sign only would provide too restricted an exposure. Public hearing was closed. Mr. Williams noted a conflict of interest in voting on this sign matter. No other ex parte contacts or reasons for conflict of interest were declared by council members. Staff indicated there are S4 tenants at Valley River Center with entrances only from the interior mall and without exterior exposure. It was felt by the sign code board that 1st National should follow this precedent. Building Sueprintendent Nolte said that, in December, 1970, the sign code board 21'B 5/27/75 1