2005/06/15 Council Agenda Packet

Signage Review Accessory business signs were examined for all ground floor commercial uses located on the survey and control blockfronts in all six study areas. Little difference was noted for most signs on the survey blockfronts compared with the control blockfronts, except with respect to adult entertainment establishments. In general, signage is characterized by the name of the establishment located above the storefront. Sometimes the accessory business signs are illuminated; less frequently they are flashing. Where there are display windows, additional signs are generally found; these are often neon or illuminated. Signs are generally flush with the buildings, but are sometimes located on projecting canopies. Significantly, however, the signage for the adult entertainment establishments is characteristi- cally at odds with that of other establishments. In half of the study areas, signage for the adult uses occupies a greater percentage of storefront surface area than other commercial uses located within the same blockfronts. For example, on blockfronts in Study Area 2, accessory business signs cover approximately 25 to 40 percent of the storefront surface area, but the adult use signage occupies 80 to 100 percent of such area. On blockfronts in Study Area 6, accessory business signs cover about 20 percent of frontage; the adult use has signage covering approximately twice that amount. On blockfronts in four of the six study areas, adult use signage tends to be illuminated when that of non -adult commercial uses is not. For example, on blockfronts in Study Area 1, approximately 80 percent (32 of 37) of the ground floor commercial accessory business signs are non -illuminated. In stark contrast, 75 percent (3 of 4) of the adult entertainment establish- ments have illuminated signs: On blockfronts in Study Area 4, signs on most of the adult entertainment establishments are illuminated, but non -adult uses located on these blockfronts generally have non -illuminated signage. In half of the study areas, graphic material for adult use signage was noted. For example, in Study Area 5, the outline of the female figure was a component of the adult use business sign. Flashing signs were generally not noted for the adult uses located.in the six study areas. The structure of the signage for the adult use located in Study Area 3 is typical of that of movie theaters. Significantly, the movie marquee and movie poster board display windows are devoid of graphic material; only "XXX" and "adult" indicate that pornography is shown inside. 51 EVER00149