 |
While animated-style billboards may be a sign of the times, they won’t be welcomed in the city center area under the Sprague-Appleway Revitalization Plan.
In fact, you won’t find billboards at all.
That was just one of the details concerning signage that council members nailed down Tuesday during the latest round of deliberations over the plan, nicknamed SARP.
The council – despite some protestations here and there – mostly favored restricting sign sizes and standards in the downtown core area of the city center, planned for what’s now University City. And while those plans may take years to reach fruition, the council members want to make sure that people know now what will be acceptable and what won’t.
“It’s what you want to see,” Mike Connelly, city attorney, told the council at one point.
Council members ultimately decided that typical electronic signs that scroll messages could be allowed anywhere within the Sprague-Appleway plan area, but animated signs – electronic signs that have rapidly changing animation or messages – would not be allowed in the area surrounding the future City Hall. That type of sign would be allowed, however, in other zones along Sprague Avenue only, not the more boulevard-style Appleway.
Council members said they also did not want flashing business signs to be so bright that they would bother potential residents who could be living in multifamily housing on Appleway.
“We don’t want to blind drivers or be bothering residences,” Mayor Richard Munson said.
Council members also turned their attention to the sandwich-style board signs often found on the sidewalk outside of businesses in urban areas. In a split vote, it was ultimately decided they would not be allowed, even on the core street of city center.
“I don’t like the clutter,” said Deputy Mayor Dick Denenny, who said the signs – advertising soup specials or the latest latte flavor – end up in the walkways. “Businesses can just put something on the inside of the window. I’d rather do that than have A-frames all over.”
Council Member Rose Dempsey said that not allowing the sandwich boards would make it harder for people to find businesses.
“I’d like to have something that identifies the building rather than something that’s flat against the wall,” she said.
It was bandied about that the signs could be allowed just for restaurants, but Connelly shot down that idea.
“It’s all for one or one for all,” he said, adding that the city couldn’t favor one type of business or another.
While billboards will still get some citywide scrutiny, they won’t be allowed in the city center area – flashing, animated or otherwise. Under the city’s replacement program, no new billboards can be constructed anywhere in Spokane Valley, but if one comes down it can be replaced somewhere else where they are allowed.
Finally, the council got some clarification on when and where new streets would be located along Sprague-Appleway. Scott Kuhta, the chief city planner who has skippered SARP, reminded the council that increasing the number of streets would bring a more urban connectivity to Spokane Valley’s future downtown.
“That’s the goal of the plan,” he said. “We want smaller blocks. We want to move away from these super suburban blocks.”
At the suggestion of Council Member Bill Gothmann, new streets would be required if a new development exceeded maximum block size of five acres or that a new street is deemed necessary due to impacts of new construction on the surrounding area.
The council hopes to conclude its deliberations on the SARP at its Feb. 24 meeting. After that, the public would be able to review the plans and comment at a public hearing tentatively scheduled for April 14.
|
|
By
Mike Huffman
