City Council Meeting Date: October 1, 2024
To: Members of the City Council
From: Jake Reilly, Community Development Director
Mikayla Schmidt, City Planner
Mathias Hughey, Associate City Planner
Title
Consideration of Approval of the First Reading of Ordinance 1067 Text Amendments Related to Sign Regulations in the Historic-Overlay District in Chapter 34 - Land Development Code of the Northfield City Code.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council considers a motion to approve Ordinance 1067 (First Reading) Alternative Number 1 Amending Northfield City Code, Chapter 34 - Land Development Code.
Summary Report:
The first reading of this ordinance was originally scheduled for September 3rd. However, the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) will review the Planning Commission's (PC) recommended changes to the proposed text amendment on September 30. A supplemental memo summarizing their comments and recommendations will be provided on October 1.
The HPC currently reviews and approves signs in the Historic-Overlay District (H-O District) and on Heritage Preservation Sites via the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) process. Signs in the H-O District must receive a COA before city staff can issue a Sign or a Building Permit. The HPC has engaged in internal discussions for years about the regulations in the H-O District and initiated the request to update the ordinance. The HPC intends to increase the diversity and creativity of signs and ease approvals while retaining a high level of aesthetic integrity and preserving the historic character of the H-O District.
The existing H-O sign regulations are among the most restrictive of comparable cities, and the HPC spends a significant amount of time reviewing, discussing, and approving COAs for signs. The HPC has denied COAs for signs that did not meet specific requirements of the Land Development Code. HPC Commissioners and staff have engaged in multiple discussions to craft the proposed...
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