REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 03/20/2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning & Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
ZONE TEXT AMENDMENT 2024-0002 TO TITLE 17 OF THE CORONA MUNICIPAL CODE TO AMEND THE SIGN ORDINANCE IN CHAPTER 17.74 TO PROHIBIT TEMPORARY SIGNS IN THE PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY (APPLICANT: CITY OF CORONA)
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve Zone Text Amendment 2024-0002 (ZTA2024-0002) to amend Section 17.74.070 within Chapter 17.74 of the Corona Municipal Code that would prohibit the placement of temporary signs in the city’s public right-of-way.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Approve ZTA2024-0002, as recommended by the Planning and Housing Commission.
b. Introduce, by title only, and waive full reading of consideration of Ordinance No. 3392, first reading of an ordinance amending Section 17.74.070 (Prohibited Signs) of Chapter 17.74 (Signs) of Title 17 (Zoning) and Section 5.44.100 of the Corona Municipal Code to prohibit temporary signs in the public right-of-way (ZTA2024-0002).
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The City’s Sign Ordinance is regulated by Chapter 17.74 of the Corona Municipal Code. Section 17.74.070 (I) prohibits temporary signs in the public right-of-way except from 7:00 a.m. on Saturday to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. Temporary signs placed in the public right-of-way during this time are required to adhere to certain criteria related to size and height, material, location, and quantity. The city does not regulate the content of the message on temporary signs, which is protected by the First Amendment.
Various entities have used temporary signs in the public right-of-way to advertise professional services, real estate open houses, special sales, and political campaigns. The following summarizes the criteria each entity must follow when placing temporary signs in the public right-of-way on Saturday and Sunday.
• Size: 2’ x 3’ and no higher than 3’.
• Material: Sturdy material, not single-layer cardboard, paper, or bond stock, and shall be fastened to the ground on a single metal or wood support.
• Quantity: 3 signs per business, entity, or person on a single block.
• Location: No closer than 10’ from the corner and prohibited within the center street median.
Most of the time, real estate agents locate temporary signs in the public right-of-way to advertise open houses on the weekend. Over time, heavily traveled streets within certain neighborhoods have regularly become inundated with temporary signs on Saturday and Sunday. The temporary signs have diminished the aesthetic appearance of the landscaped parkways along city streets, resulting in visual clutter along major thoroughfares and local streets. In many instances, certain entities would leave their temporary signs in the public right-of-way in the days following Sunday resulting in Code Compliance personnel having to remove the remaining temporary signs.
City Council Fall Policy Workshop
The City Council at its Fall Policy Workshop on October 12, 2023, discussed possible changes to the regulations governing temporary signs in the public right-of-way. Most of the Council indicated other advertising platforms such as websites, social media and real estate websites are available instead of having temporary signs in the public right-of-way. Additionally, residents living in the city have voiced complaints regarding the large number of temporary signs in the public right-of-way on Saturday and Sunday and have expressed that the temporary signs diminish the aesthetic appearance and quality of their neighborhoods. Ultimately, most of the Council decided to prohibit temporary signs in the public right-of-way and directed staff to prepare the appropriate amendment to the sign ordinance.
ANALYSIS:
ZTA2024-0002 would add a definition for public right-of-way in Section 17.74.030 and amend Section 17.74.070 (I) to prohibit temporary signs in the public right-of-way, except for those authorized by a recognized government agency.
ZTA2024-0002 implements a policy decision by the City Council. Over the years, city staff have had to police and enforce the rules on temporary signs and spend time traveling around the city to pick up temporary signs that were not removed on Sunday. Temporary signs in the public right-of-way have created visual clutter along city streets, diminished the aesthetic appearance of the city’s streetscape and adjacent neighborhoods, and placed a burden on city staff to regularly remove temporary signs that do not adhere to the time frame allowed in the municipal code.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
ZTA2024-0002 is a city-initiated application. No application fee was paid to process this request.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This amendment solely involves text revisions to the City’s Zoning Ordinance in the Corona Municipal Code and there is no possibility that approving this project will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of February 26, 2024, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Siqueland/Longwell) and carried unanimously, that the Planning and Housing Commission recommend approval of ZTA2024-0002 to the City Council, based on the findings and conditions contained in the Staff Report. The minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting are included as Exhibit 4.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - City Ordinance No. 3392 - (Clean Version)
2. Exhibit 2 - City Ordinance No. 3392 - (Redline Version)
3. Exhibit 3 - Planning and Housing Commission Staff Report
4. Exhibit 4 - Minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of February 26, 2024