Sign Regulations for Urban Regional Shopping Centers County oard Meeting November 5, 2016 CPHD, Planning Division
Scope & Process Why are we doing this? rlington County Retail Plan, adopted by the County oard in July 2015 ging shopping centers face increasing competition and challenges Shopping centers play important role in their neighborhoods and need to increase placemaking efforts Retail Plan recommends amending the Zoning Ordinance, as warranted, to allow for creativity and flexibility in order to facilitate opportunities to reposition and redevelop rlington s aging regional shopping centers, which include allston Quarter and Fashion Center at Pentagon City. 2
nalysis nalyzed characteristics of rlington s urban regional shopping centers Looked at examples of similar centers throughout the country for sign precedents and physical form characteristics Reviewed illustrative sign proposals for allston Quarter Evaluated current sign regulations for C and M districts Considered input throughout public review process 3
Goals for Sign Regulations 1. Support the repositioning of existing urban regional shopping centers; 2. Tailor regulations to the unique character of an urban regional shopping center with regard to the built form and concentration of retail, entertainment and restaurant uses; 3. Encourage placemaking efforts, such as pulling storefronts to the street, creating multiple entry points and creating activity and attractions on the outside as well as inside; 4. e sensitive to the context of the adjoining neighborhood; and 5. Maintain predictable and easy to understand regulations while continuing to provide flexibility and facilitate creativity so that urban regional shopping centers may continue to evolve over time. 4
Proposed mendments General concept of regulations Optional administrative regulations through a comprehensive sign plan ased on the current C and M district regulations ( 13.7) Responds to the unique characteristics, while also encouraging transformation Larger amount of sign area and flexibility on facades that have been opened up to the street with windows and entrances lso allows for additional sign types freestanding and temporary projected images ll signs subject to existing illumination standards ( 13.11) 5
Proposed mendments New Definitions (rticle 18) Urban Regional Shopping Center uilding with >500,000 square feet of retail, entertainment and food establishment uses configured in at least two stories on a single block Urban Regional Shopping Center Façade (including two façade types based on fenestration) Facade type has a minimum of 50% fenestration on the ground story and 25% on the remainder of the façade Façade type is an urban regional shopping center façade that does not qualify as façade type Projected Image Sign Façade Type Façade Type temporary sign produced from projected rays of light onto a surface 6
Proposed mendments ggregate Sign rea ( 13.8.3.D) Current Regulations One square foot (sf) of sign area per linear foot (lf) of building frontage (including a minimum of 60 sf for each establishment with an exterior door on façade type which has less than 60 lf of frontage) Example for Illustrative Purposes 7
Proposed mendments ggregate Sign rea ( 13.8.3.D) Proposed Regulations Example Façade Type Façade Type 10 3 Example for Illustrative Purposes 8
Proposed mendments ggregate Sign rea ( 13.8.3.D) 10 10% of the sum of areas of each façade type + For Façade Type, 1sf per 1 lf of remaining linear ft. of bldg. frontage (including a minimum of 60 sf for each establishment with an exterior door on façade type which has less than 60 lf of frontage) Total ggregate Sign rea 3 Example for Illustrative Purposes 9
Proposed mendments Façade Type 50 150 Example for Illustrative Purposes Current: 150 frontage = 150 sf sign area Proposed: 7500 sf area of façade = 750 sf of sign area 10
Proposed mendments Sign Placement ( 13.8.3.F) Façade Type : Signs may be placed up to 55 feet Façade Type : Signs may be placed up to 40 feet Façade Type Façade Type 55 feet 40 feet 11 uildings with urban regional shopping centers would still qualify for up to 2 roofline signs per 13.7
Proposed mendments 40 feet Example for Illustrative Purposes: Current Regulations 12
Proposed mendments Façade Type Façade Type Example for Illustrative Purposes: Proposed Regulations 13
Proposed mendments Sign types and sign placement Same as C & M Districts with some key changes Window Signs Signs permitted on first, second and third story, up to a maximum of 55 feet Signs on second and third story may occupy up to 50% of the window in aggregate (advertised with options to allow up signs to occupy up to 100% of windows Façade or to aggregate Type between : Signs the 2 nd may and 3 rd be floor) placed up to 55 feet Façade Type : Signs may be placed up to 40 feet Freestanding Signs Permitted based on formula (# of entrances and street frontages) Size parameters maximum of two can have legible commercial content from more than 6 feet No restriction on size for blade (projecting) signs on facade type 14
Sign Types Proposed mendments Projected Image Signs New temporary sign type Permitted on all facades; may occupy the full façade Non-commercial Movement advertised with options 1. Movement permitted wherever sign is permitted 2. Movement only permitted in designated locations that are not oriented toward vehicular traffic dvertised with option of cumulative maximum of 90-120 days of any 365 day period for the entire regional shopping center 15
Key Comments Movement and Timeframe for Projected Image Signs dvertisement included options: Flexibility for movement llowed 90-120 days per year 16
Key Comments Recommendation: Movement ppropriate to encourage movement to help activate the pedestrian-oriented areas of urban regional shopping centers (e.g. plazas, pathways through the site) llow movement in locations or instances where not oriented toward vehicular traffic: Sign is located a minimum of 50 feet from street and fronting a plaza or park Sign is not directly facing a street Sign is located on ground/floor surface Sign is fronting a street that is closed to vehicular traffic 17
Key Comments Recommendation: Timeframe Continue to recommend that signs be permitted 90 days/year Reflects intended temporary nature of sign (e.g., seasonal or special event related) Consistent with timeframe used for some shortterm uses in the ZO, such as outdoor cafes 18
Key Comments Window Sign rea dvertisement options: llow 50%-100% of windows on 2 nd /3 rd floor to contain signs; llow window sign area to be aggregated between 2 nd and 3 rd floors (either separately or in combination) 19
Key Comments Window Sign rea - Recommendation: - Continue to propose maximum of 50% on 2 nd and 3 rd floor, with aggregate on a story-by-story basis - This provision would allow flexibility to the urban regional shopping center while still encouraging the transparency - llowing the aggregation of the floors together could result in an entire floor of windows being covered with signs. Example for Illustrative Purposes Proposed regulation shown as 50% per window on 2 nd /3 rd floor Proposed regulation shown as 50% per window on 2 nd /3 rd floor, aggregated per story on 2 nd /3 rd floor 20
Key Comments Future sign amendments Consider amendments to allow additional sign area for developments with: Second story retail uses; and/or Frontage on public plazas or pedestrian ways nticipated for consideration in Winter/Spring 2017 21
Public Review Process pril 7, 2016 May 10, 2016 May 25, 2016 June 1, 2016 June 14, 2016 July 12, 2016 Sep. 27, 2016 Oct. 24, 2016 Public meeting to discuss vision ZOCO meeting Chamber of Commerce NIOP/NVI Economic Development Commission ZOCO meeting Request to dvertise (County oard) Planning Commission Unanimously Recommended pproval of the Proposed mendments Staff also met several times with representatives for both allston Quarter and Fashion Centre 22
Recommendation Staff recommends that the County oard adopt the ordinance to amend, reenact and recodify the rlington County Zoning Ordinance, rticles 13 and 18, to: dd provisions for signs for urban regional shopping centers, including: Purposes; pplicability; Sign area allocation and allowed sign types; Updates to sign measurement definitions; and New definitions for urban regional shopping center, urban regional shopping center façade and projected image sign. 23