Article VI — Multiple Districts

• A. Findings.

  1. That there is a need to improve the competitiveness of service and commercial businesses and maintain the aesthetic quality of all areas in the city; and

  2. That regulating temporary signage is an effective method to improve the aesthetic quality of all areas in the city; and

  3. That the overuse of temporary signs results in visual clutter, the deterioration of the city's commercial and service districts, and the inefficient use of business advertising resources.

• B. Purpose. The purpose of this section is to set standards for temporary business advertising signs in commercial, professional office and industrial districts in the city. Temporary business advertising signs include promotional signs, grand opening signs, interim signs, special event signs, and other signs made up of temporary materials or used in a temporary fashion.

• C. Promotional Signs in Commercial, Office and Industrial Districts. Promotional signs are temporary business advertising signs intended to attract attention to a use or activity for a limited number of events as identified in this section. The three types of promotional signs include attached, detached and window signs. Attached promotional signs, detached promotional signs and promotional window signs that require a permit may not be used in combination during any quarter.

  1. Attached Promotional Signs.

     • a. For each use or business activity up to one sign may be allowed. Except for a use or business activity with frontage on two or more major streets two signs may be allowed.

     • b. Maximum area shall be one hundred square feet.

     • c. The vertical dimension of the sign shall not exceed five feet and shall not exceed the top of the eave line or parapet wall.

     • d. The width (horizontal dimension) shall not exceed sixty percent of the business or store frontage, whichever is smaller.

     • e. The maximum duration for attached promotional signs during the first through third quarters (January through September) of the year is one thirty-day period per quarter, with a consecutive sixty-day down period, during which time promotional signs are not permitted. During the fourth quarter (October through December) promotional signs are permitted for two thirty-day periods provided that the temporary sign is down for at least thirty days before the temporary signage is used again.

     • f. All promotional signs shall be located on the site where the use or activity is located.

  2. Detached Promotional Signs.

     • a. Detached signs shall be located on the site where the use or business activity is located. No more than one detached promotional sign may be allowed at the same time per lot. If two or more lots are owned by the same property owner within the same shopping or business center, then no more than one detached sign may be allowed at the same time per property owner per center.

• b. One additional sign may be permitted per major street frontage per lot or center, provided it is a community event sponsored by the city or by a nonprofit organization as described in subsection (F) of this section.

  - c. At no time shall the distance between detached promotional signs be less than thirty feet. 
  
  - d. The planning director shall have the authority to increase or reduce the requirements in subsection (C)(2)(a), (b) or (c) of this section in case of unusual physical characteristics of the site, such as presence of driveways, landscaping, utility poles, lot configuration, etc. 
  
  - e. Sign shall be mounted to a frame between one and four inches thick that contours the top, bottom and sides of the sign. The frame shall be constructed of quality durable materials and shall be constructed so that the sign shall be securely fastened to the frame. 
  
  - f. If more than one detached promotional sign is located on the same lot, each sign shall be made to the same dimensions and mounted to a frame between one and four inches thick (that contours along the top, bottom and sides of the sign) and the frame shall be constructed of the same color, material and design to provide consistency between promotional signs. 
  
  - g. Maximum sign area shall not exceed thirty-two square feet. 
  
  - h. The maximum height to the top of the sign shall not exceed six feet above the ground. 
  
  - i. The vertical dimension of the sign area shall not exceed three feet, and the horizontal dimension of the sign area shall not exceed fifteen feet. 
  
  - j. Sign shall not block, restrict or impair any of the following: 
  
     - i. The public's view of another business or activity; 
  
     - ii. The public's view of the signage for another business or activity; 
  
     - iii. The view or visibility of the operator of any motor vehicle; 
  
     - iv. The movement of any pedestrian or motor vehicle. 
  
  - k. The maximum duration for detached promotional signs is fourteen consecutive days within any ninety day period. 
  

  3. Requirements for Promotional Window Signs.

     • a. Signs located on non-door window surfaces shall not exceed seventy-five percent of the non-door window area.

     • b. They may not be displayed for longer than a ninety-day period.

• D. Grand Opening Signs in Commercial, Office and Industrial Districts. Grand opening signs are temporary business advertising signs, bearing the words "Grand Opening," or some similar message to announce the opening of a new business.

  1. For each use or business activity up to one sign may be allowed. Except for a use or business activity with frontage on two or more major streets two signs may be allowed.

  2. Maximum area shall not exceed sixty square feet.

  3. The vertical dimension shall not exceed three feet. They shall not exceed the top of the eave line or parapet wall.

  4. They shall be attached to the building where the use or activity is located.

  5. The width (horizontal dimension) shall not exceed sixty percent of the business or store frontage, whichever is smaller.

6. They may be allowed for any period of time during the first one hundred twenty days of business or multifamily rental complex operation.

• E. Interim Signs. Interim signs are temporary business advertising signs intended to provide interim signage while the permanent signage is being fabricated, repaired or prepared for installation.

  1. The maximum number of signs shall be the same number of permanent signs permitted by this chapter.

  2. They shall be the same as the size of permanent signs permitted by this chapter.

  3. They may contain only the business name and appropriate logo. They shall be attached to the building where the use or activity is located.

  4. They may be allowed for any period up to ninety days. The director may allow a one-time extension, for any period up to thirty days, with good cause. It is the responsibility for the proponent of the extension to justify why the extension is appropriate.

• F. Special Event Signs in Commercial, Office and Industrial Districts. Special event signs are temporary business advertising signs for special community activities or seasonal events. By way of example only, such activities or events may include charitable and community fundraising events, Christmas tree sales, the tractor races, or the annual Temecula wine and balloon festival. In addition to the on-site signs permitted by this section, community events sponsored by the city or by a nonprofit organization may be allowed one off-site sign. Two types of special event signs include attached and detached special event signs.

  1. Attached Special Event Signs in Commercial, Office and Industrial Districts. Special event signs for events held in a building or structure shall be attached to the building or structure where the use or activity is located.

     • a. The maximum area shall not exceed thirty-two square feet.

     • b. The vertical dimension shall not exceed three feet. They shall not exceed the top of the eave line or parapet wall of the building.

     • c. They shall be located on the site of the special event or activity being advertised.

     • d. The width (horizontal dimension) shall not exceed sixty percent of the business or store frontage, whichever is smaller.

     • e. Special event signs may be allowed for any period up to forty-five days. The director may allow a one-time extension, for any period up to an additional forty-five days, with good cause. It is the responsibility of the proponent of the extension to justify why the extension is appropriate.

  2. Detached Special Event Signs in Commercial, Office and Industrial districts.

     • a. Detached special event signs shall comply with subsection (C)(2).

     • b. Special event signs may be allowed for up to fourteen consecutive days within any ninety-day period.

• c. Special event signs for special community-wide events, such as the tractor races and wine and balloon festival, may be allowed additional supplemental and/or directional temporary signage at the discretion of the director. Supplemental directional signage should not exceed thirty-two square feet on major roadways and twenty-four square feet on other roadways. The appropriate sizes and locations for all supplemental and/or directional temporary signs shall be determined by the director.

• (Ord. 98-10 § 1; Ord. 01-14 § 1; Ord. 07-15 § 14(B); Ord. 08-08 § 10)

A temporary ambient balloon is a sign which is a temporary structure supported by forced cold air (non-helium), constructed of fabric materials, and affixed to the ground or roof top using steel cable anchoring systems. These signs are intended to provide additional exposure to the businesses in the city provided certain restrictions are met.

• A. The maximum number of balloons shall not exceed three on any one site during any time period specified in subsection (A)(1)(b) of this section.

  1. A site shall be defined as the following:

     • a. One or more contiguous legal parcels of land where an individual building or an integrated building development has been approved; or

     • b. A building that contains two or more separate independently owned or operated commercial, office or industrial businesses.

• B. The maximum display time shall not exceed a total of fifteen calendar days within any ninety calendar day period. Except that during the month of the annual Balloon and Wine Festival and during the month of December, a thirty calendar day permit may be issued by the director.

• C. Spacing shall be a minimum of three hundred fifty feet between the balloons.

• D. The requirements for maximum allowable three signs on any one site and minimum three hundred fifty foot spacing between balloons may be waived by the director during the month of the Temecula annual balloon and wine festival, if such event is held.

• E. The maximum cross section of the balloon shall not exceed one thousand five hundred square feet.

• F. The maximum height shall not exceed thirty feet, as measured from the point of anchor to the highest portion of the balloon.

• G. They may be illuminated at night using electrical lighting systems.

• H. Balloons shall be ground-mounted or roof-mounted using steel cable anchoring systems.

• I. Ambient air balloons shall only be in the shape of a traditional "hot air balloon." Ambient air balloons in the shape of blimps or cartoon characters are not permitted. Exception: During the month of December ambient air balloons in the shape of traditional Christmas characters or symbols are allowed.

• J. All such signs shall be removed no later than the last day permitted in the approved application.

• K. No temporary ambient air balloon or similar inflatable shall be erected, placed or maintained so that it does any of the following:

  1. Mars, defaces, disfigures or damages any public building, structure or other property; or

2. Endangers the safety of person or property.

(Ord. 98-10 § 1; Ord. 03-04 § 6)

• A. Findings.

  1. There is an unsightly and confusing proliferation of off-site directional signs, relating to new residential development projects, including new rental projects (hereinafter referred to as "development projects"), and other business. Development projects by their very nature are most frequently located in areas where streets and highways are newly constructed. Such thoroughfares are seldom shown on maps available to persons seeking to purchase new homes; and, consequently, developers use signs to aid such persons in locating their subdivisions. The result is a proliferation of signs which are: (1) unsightly and damaging to the appearance of areas such as that which is the subject of this chapter; (2) confusing to

individuals; and, (3) unsafe in that drivers of motor vehicles while searching for subdivisions or signs giving direction thereto, are distracted from the operation of their vehicles.

2. Directional signs are needed by developers to a greater degree than other businesses because development project sales are ordinarily conducted for a relatively limited period of time for any particular location, that is, only until all units in the subdivision are sold. Thus, listings in such conventional media as telephone yellow pages are impractical. While other media such as broadcast media and newspapers are available, and maps could be disseminated in only some of such media, the most efficient method of directing prospective purchasers to development projects is the use of directional signs posted at intersections and other critical locations. Businesses with more permanent sales locations do not share these problems and, thus, have less need of directional signs.

• B. Purpose. The purpose of this section is to provide a uniform, coordinated method of offering developers a means of providing directional signs to their projects, while minimizing confusion among prospective purchasers who wish to inspect development projects, while promoting traffic safety and reducing the visual blight of the proliferation of signs. Directional kiosk signs, including travel direction signs, other than those on-site, are prohibited except as provided in this section.

• C. Authority. This section is adopted pursuant to the state Planning, Zoning, and Development Law, Business and Professions Code, Section 52301 and Streets and Highways Code, Section 1460 .

• D. Authority to Grant License. The city council may, by duly executed license agreement, grant to a qualified person the exclusive right to design, erect and maintain directional kiosk signs within the entire city, or any designated portion thereof. Licensees shall be selected by soliciting request for proposals. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any person erecting or placing directional kiosk signs on-site shall not be required to obtain a license. The term of each license shall be set forth in the license agreement.

xclusive right to design, erect and maintain directional kiosk signs within the entire city, or any designated portion thereof. Licensees shall be selected by soliciting request for proposals. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any person erecting or placing directional kiosk signs on-site shall not be required to obtain a license. The term of each license shall be set forth in the license agreement.

• E. Directional Signs Structures—Operation. Licensee(s) shall make directional sign panels available to all persons or entities selling subdivisions (hereinafter referred to as "subdivider") on a first-come, first-service basis. No sign panels shall be granted to any subdivider for a period of excess of two years. However, a subdivider who is soliciting sales of more than two subdivisions within a single planned community or a specific plan area shall not be subject to the two-year limitation during such solicitation. Licensee(s) shall maintain a separate waiting list for each sign structure. Alternatively, a subdivider may apply to licensee for a sign panel program consisting of a single sign panel on each of a series of sign structures as needed to guide prospective purchasers to his/her subdivision project. A subdivider whose time of use for a sign panel or sign space program has expired, may reapply and shall be placed on the waiting list in the same manner as a new applicant.

• F. General Requirements.

  1. For purposes of this section, street intersection shall mean where two or more streets or roads cross at the same grade. Street or road shall include all streets and roads with a right-of-way of eighty-eight feet or larger.

  2. Maximum height shall not exceed twelve feet.

  3. Directional signs shall not obstruct the use of sidewalks, walkways, bike and hiking trails; shall not obstruct the visibility of vehicles, pedestrians or traffic control signs; shall, where feasible, be combined with advance street name signs; shall not be installed in the immediate vicinity of street intersection; and shall be limited to not more than three structures between street intersections.

  4. Directional signs shall not be placed on local residential streets.

  5. Sign structures shall be ladder type with individual sign panels of uniform design and color through-out the city limits.

  6. The width of sign structures and sign panels shall not exceed five feet.

  7. Sign panels shall not be illuminated.

  8. Sign structure installations shall include "breakaway" design features where required in right-of-way areas.

  9. No signs, pennants, flags or other devices for visual attention or other appurtenances shall be placed on the directional signs.

  10. The sign panel lettering for tract identification shall be uniform.

  11. All signs erected on private property must have written consent from the property owner with the city to have a right to enter property to remove any signs not in conformance.

  12. All signs within the public right-of-way must have an encroachment permit.

13. The licensee or holder of an encroachment permit shall hold the city, and its officers and employees, harmless of all costs, claims and damages levied against them, and the license or encroachment permit shall so provide.

• (Ord. 98-10 § 1)