New businesses now allowed to put up temporary signs
DRIPPING SPRINGS — To support entrepreneurs and promote economic development within the community, Dripping Springs City Council unanimously approved on Nov. 19 an ordinance that would amend the sign code to provide additional signage for new businesses.
With this ordinance, allowing new businesses to place an additional temporary sign will assist in their visibility and successful establishment within the community, as well as having reasonable rules and regulations governing the placement of temporary signs by new businesses is necessary to maintain the aesthetic quality and safety of the city, according to meeting agenda documents.
“This is just a small amendment to the sign ordinance. We had some requests for people, for new businesses to be able to have additional signage on their first opening for a very limited amount of time to help draw and let people know that they've opened,” explained city attorney Laura Mueller.
It’s difficult to regulate the content that is displayed on the signs; rather, the city will be regulating them by the amount of time the business has been open. The current sign ordinance allows commercial entities to have a few signs, including a monument or wall, construction development, equipment or window.
The amended sign code, as approved by city council, would allow new businesses — projects subject to the city’s building code — to place one new business temporary sign on their premises for a period not exceeding 60 days between the time of issuance of a building permit for construction or renovation and the time a certificate of occupancy is issued. This sign must be removed at time of issuance of certificate of occupancy; however, an additional new business temporary sign may be placed for up to 60 days after a certificate of occupancy is issued.
For projects not subject to the city’s building code, new businesses may place one new business temporary sign on their premises for a period not exceeding 60 days prior to the business opening to the public. Then, an additional sign may be placed for up to 60 days after the business opens to the public.
“What we're looking at is allowing a commercial, new commercial entity, to have a sign while they're being built, or while they get ready to get open, up to 60 days before their initial certificate of occupancy is issued, or before they open or when their building permit, or in the ETJ is just when they start business. Then, they can take that sign down or keep the same one, but then they can have one for up to 60 days after they either get their certificate of occupancy or they officially open, depending on whether they're in the city limits or in the extraterritorial jurisdiction,” Mueller explained.
Other guidelines in the amended code including the following:
• A “new business” is defined as a nonresidential enterprise that was not operated by any person or entity with a controlling interest in a non-residential enterprise located within 100 feet of the property within the previous 12 months. The new business is per non-residential enterprise, not per lot.
• The maximum surface area for a new business temporary sign shall be 32 square feet. The sign does not count towards total cumulative signable area limits nor the total amount of temporary signs on an annual basis.
• The height of the new business temporary sign must not exceed six feet.
• The new business temporary sign must be located on the business premises and must not obstruct traffic visibility or pedestrian pathways and must follow all other city regulations.
• The application for each new business temporary sign must include the expected/actual date of certificate of occupancy issuance and a plan showing the proposed location and dimensions of the sign.
• A new business temporary sign must not be illuminated.
• A new business temporary sign must be of a type otherwise allowed by Chapter 26 of the code. Mayor Bill Foulds questioned how the amended code would apply to apartment complexes, who may have up to 10 banners all around their property advertising.
“This is not for apartments. This is for non-residential. Multi-family is its own category, but it would be considered residential under our sign code and under this provision, so they wouldn't be able to have anything extra,” responded Mueller. “Now, if they had a coffee shop or something, they could have something separate if that was a new business, but they can't do it for the residential part of their entity.”
In order to keep the community informed on these amendments, Mueller said that the city would provide education at Coffee and Codes — where the building department goes out monthly and talks to the development community — update the city’s website and coordinate with the Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce to ensure the information is available to everyone.
Dripping Springs City Council meets next at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at DSISD Center for Learning and Leadership, located at 300 Sportsplex Dr. Council will meet at this location until renovations at city hall are complete.
