City of Pittsburgh - File #: 2014-0671

• File #: 2014-0671
• Version: 1
• Type: Ordinance
• Status: Held In Council
• File created: 7/22/2014
• In control: Committee on Hearings
• Title: Ordinance amending the Pittsburgh Code, Title Nine, Zoning, Chapter 919, Signs, by making various changes in Sections 919.01.C, 919.03M.7 and 919.03M.4.
• Sponsors: Darlene M. Harris
• Indexes: PGH. CODE ORDINANCES TITLE 09 - ZONING

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
7/23/2014	1	Standing Committee	Held for Cablecast Public Hearing	Pass
7/23/2014	1	Standing Committee	Referred for Report and Recommendation	Pass
7/22/2014	1	City Council	Waived under Rule 8	Pass
7/22/2014	1	City Council	Read and referred

title

Ordinance amending the Pittsburgh Code, Title Nine, Zoning, Chapter 919, Signs, by making various changes in Sections 919.01.C, 919.03M.7 and 919.03M.4.

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Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Pittsburgh as follows:

Section 1.      The Pittsburgh Code, Title Nine, Zoning, Chapter 919, Signs,

Section 919.01.C - Special Definitions, is hereby amended to add:

919.01.C - Special Definitions

25. High Wall Sign means a sign containing only the name of the building or business mounted higher than forty (40) feet above grade.

Section 2.      The Pittsburgh Code, Title Nine, Zoning, Chapter 919, Signs,

Section 919.03.M.7 - GT and DR Zoning Districts, is hereby amended as follows:

919.03.M.7 - GT and DR Zoning Districts

In the GT and DR Zoning Districts

(a)  Wall mounted signs, except for public destination facilities, are permitted provided that;

(i)  The total face area shall not exceed two (2) square feet of sign face area for each lineal foot of building wall width to a maximum of eighty (80) square feet and shall be mounted no higher than forty (40) feet above grade [except where expressly permitted.]

(ii)  For buildings with multi-commercial tenants on the first and second floors one (1) additional tenant business or identification sign shall be permitted per tenant identifying the name of the tenant or business, the total face area of which shall not exceed two (2) square feet of sign face area for each lineal foot of tenant frontage to a maximum of eighty (80) square feet per sign on each wall or façade and shall be mounted no higher than the second floor above grade.

(iii)  Tenant signs are to be located within the façade area of the tenant. Maximum letter height on all wall signs below forty (40) feet above grade shall be four (4) feet.

(b)  For public destination facilities, the total face area of wall mounted signs below forty (40) feet shall not exceed a total of three (3) percent of exposed building façade area or a maximum of two hundred (200) square feet per façade, whichever is smaller, shall permit electronic identification signs with no motion or animation, and shall be subject to design review and approval by the City Planning Commission.

 [(c)Only the name of the building or business shall be (c) mounted higher than forty (40) feet above grade and may face in all directions but shall not be roof mounted nor project at above the roof peak or parapet wall, shall not exceed in face area forty (40) square feet or two (2) percent of exposed façade area whichever is larger, shall be limited to four (4) per building, shall include no motion or animation, shall not exceed a luminance of two thousand five hundred (2,500) nits during daylight hours between sunrise and sunset, shall not exceed a luminance of two hundred fifty (250) nits at all other times, shall permit electronic illumination with no motion or animation, and shall be subject to design review and approval by the City Planning Commission. All applications shall include certification that the sign will comply with luminance level standards at the time of application and must certify again that the sign is operating in compliance with the standards prior to issuance of an occupancy permit. ]

(c) New signs mounted higher than forty (40) feet shall not be permitted, with the exception that any project having received final Project Development Plan approval on or before July 16, 2013 shall comply with the procedures for wall mounted signs in place as of July 15, 2013.

(c)  A High Wall Sign may be authorized by City Council as a Conditional Use according to the Conditional Use provisions of Section 922.06 and the following standards:

(i)      Buildings of over 400,000 square feet gross floor area or greater may have a high wall sign signifying the building name. The building name must be determined by City Council to be a name that has been associated with the building for over fifty (50) years and is not a business or product that is still produced or in existence;

(ii)      A business may have a high wall sign if said business occupies at least fifty percent (50%) of a building of 400,000 square feet gross floor area or greater;

(iii)      The sign may face in all directions but shall not be roof mounted nor project above the roof peak or parapet wall;

(iv)      The sign shall not exceed in face area two (2) percent of exposed façade area or 800 square feet, whichever is smaller;

(v)      The sign shall be limited to four (4) per building and shall include no motion or animation;

(vi)       The sign shall not exceed a luminance of two thousand five hundred (2,500) nits during daylight hours between sunrise and sunset, shall not exceed a luminance of two hundred fifty (250) nits at all other times;

(vii)      Electronic illumination is permitted with no motion or animation;

(viii)      High wall signs shall be subject to Design Review, which shall make recommendations to Planning Commission and City Council as appropriate and as dictated by applicable law. Design Review shall focus on the appropriateness of the sign's scale, luminousity, and relationship to architectural details of the building on which it is proposed to be located. To this end, no high wall sign will be permitted to cover any existing window openings or important architectural and/or historic features of a building for which it is proposed;

(ix)      All applications shall include certification that the sign will comply with luminance level standards at the time of application and must certify again that the sign is operating in compliance with the standards prior to issuance of an occupancy permit;

(x)      Replacement of an existing high wall sign with a sign of equal size or smaller shall be subject to the design review and approval as a Project Development Plan in accordance with the review standards specified in Section 922.10, so long as the name of the business on the sign does not change. Change of an existing high wall sign from one business to another must comply with the Conditional Use provisions outlined above.

Section 3.      The Pittsburgh Code, Title Nine, Zoning, Chapter 919, Signs, Section 919.03.M.4 - HC Districts, is hereby amended as follows:

919.03.M.4 - HC Districts

In the HC Zoning districts:

(a)      Wall mounted signs are permitted provided that the total face are attached to a wall shall not exceed two (2) square feet of sign face area for each lineal foot of building wall width to maximum of eighty (80) square feet, and shall be mounted no higher than forty (40) feet above grade [except where expressly permitted.]

Note:  All else in this section remains unchanged.