LOS ALAMITOS : Council to Get Proposed Ordinance Altering Sign Rules
A comprehensive sign ordinance that was eight years in the making finally will go before the City Council today.
Crafted with the help of the Los Alamitos Area Chamber of Commerce, the ordinance provides guidelines for types of signs that would be permitted and prohibited and outlines the proposed permit and enforcement processes.
The ordinance is intended to create a balance between the needs of businesses and the desire to improve street appearance and maintain traffic and pedestrian safety, officials said.
“Sign regulation is more an art than a science,” said Community Development Director Elizabeth Binsack in a report to the council. “There is no uniform or ideal system; it’s a policy determination that each community must make.”
The ordinance would mean significant changes in permitted signs, temporary signs and so-called exempt signs. The latter do not require permits and include directional or warning signs, garage sale and open-house signs.
Free-standing signs, for instance, now would be permitted within 150 feet of each other, instead of the current 250 feet minimum.
Temporary signs, such as banners advertising a store opening or sale, would be allowed for 135 days, instead of 90 days.
Binsack said the Planning Commission has been working on the revised ordinance since 1987.
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