By Kellen Olshefski
Correspondent
Aldermen opted in favor of making some small changes to the city’s sign ordinance when it came before the City of Elkhorn Common Council Monday night for a first reading.
In a public hearing about the proposed ordinance changes at the beginning of the April 3 meeting, Doug Wheaton spoke on behalf of the Lakes Area Realtor’s Association, and while he thanked the council and committee for listening to the association’s concerns, there might have been a couple minor oversights with the proposed draft of the ordinance.
Wheaton began by noting a provision in the ordinance that limits the number of signs on a business or manufacturing property without a permit to one, though allows for a second sign of smaller or equal size on days that they property is hosting an open house. He said it’s not typical for businesses to hold open houses, and he feels that language could be stricken from the ordinance.
However, Wheaton said the association’s biggest concern had to do with how the ordinance handles multiple frontage lots, which the provision states: “A single temporary sign is allowed on corner lots on each road frontage abutting such property or premises.”
Wheaton said that for example, there are parcels in the Elkhorn Business Park that have frontage on more than one road, though they are not necessarily corner lots, and as such, the association would request that “on corner lots” be struck from the wording. He said removing those words from the provision would allow for parcels with frontage on more than one road the ability for multiple signs, even if it’s not on one road.
“When you look at the largest parcel in the Elkhorn Business Park, it has frontage on Koopman Lane and also on I-43,” he said. “Now, if you’re trying to market commercial real estate, that’s awesome frontage. I’m sure that’s not the only parcel in the city, but it’s the first one that comes to mind.”
When the first reading for the ordinance came before the Council later in the meeting, City Attorney Ward Phillips first addressed the concerns posed by Wheaton. He said when it comes to the provision on multiple frontage lots, the only place he could see a concern would be if there was a large enough parcel for it to have frontage on parallel roads. However, he said he wouldn’t have a problem with removing the phrase “on corner lots.”
As for Wheaton’s other concern on the open houses language, Phillips said if properties in manufacturing and business districts don’t typically have open houses, he doesn’t see why the council would want to limit them from having open houses.
“I don’t see that as a problem created for them or anyone else,” he said.
Alderman Hoss Rehberg also raised concerns about illumination of signs near residential districts. The provision in the ordinance as it stands would require all illuminated signs within 150 feet of a residential district be turned off from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., unless the business is “engaged in the operation of business” during those time periods, and in that case, lighting of the sign would only be allowed during business hours. The second part of the provision would require for businesses in the Downtown Transition District to be shut off by 10 p.m.
“I would think in a residential neighborhood we would want the signs shut off earlier,” he said.
Rehberg made a motion to amend the hours in the provision for illuminated signs within 150 feet of residential districts from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., to 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. The motion was seconded by Alderman Bruce Lechner and passed by the council unanimously.
A second reading of the proposed ordinance was expected to come before the council at its next meeting for final approval.
