AGENDA DATE: 12/9/2015
TITLE:
Title
ZTA201500010 - Zoning Text Amendment -- Signs
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Public Hearing on proposed sign ordinance amendments to address recent US Supreme Court Reed v. Town of Gilbert, Arizona decision on Content Neutrality
ITEM TYPE: Regular Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Foley, Walker, Davis, Kamptner, McCulley, MacCall, Wright, Higgins
PRESENTER (S): Ron Higgins
LEGAL REVIEW: Yes
REVIEWED BY: Thomas C. Foley
BACKGROUND: The principle of the Reed case and the basis for this ordinance amendment is as follows: content based regulations that apply to noncommercial signs must satisfy strict scrutiny by the courts, and will be upheld only if the regulations are narrowly tailored to serve a compelling governmental interest. The Planning Commission adopted a Resolution of Intent on July 14, 2015 (Attachment C) to amend the County's sign ordinance in order to comply with the United States Supreme Court's June 18, 2015 decision in Reed v. Town of Gilbert, Arizona (Reed case). The Planning Commission held two work sessions (September and October) and a public hearing on November 17, 2015. It voted to recommend adoption of ZTA201500010, with revisions as noted below.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Goal 4. Economic Prosperity: Foster an environment that stimulates diversified job creation, capital investments, and tax revenues that support community goals.
DISCUSSION: Please see the following attachments: Attachment A is a revised draft of the proposed sign ordinance incorporating the changes recommended by the Planning Commission, with one noted exception; B is a revised draft of the proposed sign ordinance including explanatory comments; D is a table from the October 20th Commission report that compares the current and proposed regulations.
The Planning Commission recommended approval of the ordinance with the following changes:
1) Retain the current temporary sign height regulati...
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