Coudersport City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VII
Special Downtown Historic Area "S-H" District 1
§ 450-24 Definitions.
A.
Special Downtown Historic Area District. The area within the downtown portion of the Borough of Coudersport which immediately surrounds the existing traffic light and which is more fully described as being bounded on the north by Fourth Street; bounded on the south by Oak Street; bounded on the west by West Street; and bounded on the east by East Street. Both sides on all of the streets forming the borders of said Special Downtown Historic Area District shall be subject to this article as well as all streets contained within the area bounded as herein noted.
B.
Overlay concept.
(1)
The Special Downtown Historic Area District described above shall be an overlay to the existing underlying CR-2 District as shown on the Official Zoning Map, and as such, the provisions for the Special Downtown Historic Area District shall serve as a supplement to the underlying district provisions.
(2)
Where there happens to be any conflict between the provisions or requirements of this chapter and those of the underlying district, the more restrictive provisions shall apply.
C.
Signs. A "sign" shall mean any device, display or structure other than buildings or landscaping, readily visible from public property and used primarily for visual communication for the purpose of, or having the result or, bringing the subject thereof to the attention of the person, group of persons, or the public generally. A sign includes, but is not limited to, any and all reading matter, letters, numerals, pictorial representations, emblems, trademarks, flags, banners, streamers, pennants, inscriptions, and patterns affixed to a building, and shall include window signs. In addition, the term "sign" shall mean any device placed in any window or any store front whether inside or outside which would otherwise meet the definition of the above-described.
D. FREESTANDING SIGN MARQUEE PARALLEL SIGN PROJECTING SIGN TEMPORARY SIGN WALL SIGN WINDOW SIGN
Types of signs defined. As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
A self-supporting sign resting on the ground or supported by means of poles or standards in the ground.
A sign or projecting part of a theater.
A sign attached, painted or otherwise mounted parallel to a wall or other vertical building surface.
Any sign mounted to a wall or other vertical building surface other than a parallel sign.
A sign placed inside or outside a building for a specific purpose for a brief period of time.
Any sign affixed directly to the side of a building, in addition to major business signs.
Any sign affixed to, in contact with, or within 12 inches of a window thereof.
E.
The "surface area" of a sign shall include all of the display area of the sign. Frames and structural members shall not be included in the computation of surface areas.
§ 450-25 Limitations and regulations which apply to signs in Special Downtown Historical Area.
[Amended 2-21-2017 by Ord. No. 617]
A.
Signs can be parallel signs, which is to say, signs which are attached, painted or otherwise mounted parallel to the wall or other building surface upon which they are to be located, or projection signs that project perpendicular from the building.
B.
(Reserved)
C.
Size.
(1)
For buildings or portions thereof under separate management or control having building frontages of 50 feet or less, the surface area of all exterior signs on the premises shall not exceed two square feet per lineal foot of building frontage or 75 square feet, whichever is less, for each frontage on a public street or each frontage with public access; provided, however, that the surface of all such signs shall not exceed, in the aggregate, 75 square feet on any single building frontage.
(2)
For buildings or portions thereof under separate management or control having building frontages in excess of 50 feet, the surface area of all exterior signs on the premises shall not exceed 1 1/2 square feet per lineal foot of building frontage or 125 square feet, whichever is less; provided, however, that the surface area of all such signs shall not exceed, in the aggregate, 125 square feet on any single building frontage.
(3)
Height of signs. No sign shall hang below eight feet. The bottom of the sign shall be a minimum of eight feet when hung, which is standard UCC regulation.
D.
Material.
(1)
All signs shall be constructed of fire resistant materials that have an appearance similar to wood or decorative metal.
(2)
Signs shall have painted lettering and designs.
(3)
All signs shall be designed and colored in such a way as to comply with the color scheme which has been established for the Special Downtown Historic Area such that only those colors listed as "Historic Color Collection Colors" may be used, or other colors which are similar in appearance and substantially conform to the hues and tones as therein set forth. It is not the intention of this chapter to require property owners to use any particular brand or type of paint, but rather simply to limit the colors or hues to those in substantial conformity with the "Historic Color Collection Colors."
E.
Window signs.
(1)
(Reserved)
(2)
No sign shall be affixed to a window surface except that the name, monogram, logo, address and telephone number of the person or firm occupying the premises may be permanently affixed upon a window in compliance with § 450-24, above. The surface area of such sign(s) is not to be included in the overall computations of allowable signage as determined by the provisions of Subsection C of this section.
(3)
The provisions of this section shall not restrict the reasonable application upon the glass surface of a door or window of lettering or decals giving the address, hours of business, entrance or exit information, professional or security affiliations or memberships, credit cards which are accepted, or other similar information, nor shall the surface area of such lettering or decals be included in the overall computation of allowable window signs.
(4)
Special sale announcements may be affixed to windows for a reasonable length of time, not to exceed one month.
F.
Moving parts. No sign or any part of a sign (excluding signs located wholly within a building) shall move or create the illusion of movement in any manner.
G.
Illumination. The only manner which will be allowed to illuminate said sign is the casting of the light downward upon the sign. The sign itself shall not be illuminating and shall not glow or otherwise radiate light.
H.
Intensity of light. No sign shall be illuminated in such a manner as to affect adversely the use and enjoyment of nearby property and the Special Downtown Historic Area.
I.
Allowed information on signs. No signs (excluding signs located wholly within a building) shall be erected or maintained on any premises, except to identify the business, or to state the name of the person or entity occupying the premises and the product or service offered, or to identify the building.
J.
Awnings. Retractable awnings shall be permitted. The only sign(s) allowed on an awning shall be the name of the store, logo, and the street number, and the combined area of such sign(s) in excess of the 15 square feet must be counted as part of the total area allowed that building for its exterior signs.
K.
Painted wall signs. Signs painted directly on the surface of a building are prohibited.
L.
Existing signs which generally conform to these guidelines will not have to be removed.
M.
Historical signs should be permissible as long as they meet all of the size and color requirements.
N.
Sandwich board signs. On each lot occupied by a business in the CR1 (Historic District), one portable folding sign with a maximum sign area of 10 square feet on each of two sides is allowed, provided such sign:
§ 450-26 Exemptions.
A.
Signs exempted from all regulations are:
(1)
Signs of duly constituted governmental bodies, including traffic or similar regulatory devices, legal notices, or warnings at railroad crossings.
(2)
Flags or emblems of political, civic, philanthropic, educational, or religious organizations.
(3)
Temporary signs, totaling not over two square feet of surface area on any lot, appertaining to campaigns, drives, or events of political, civic, philanthropic, educational, or religious organizations; provided, however, that such total surface area may not exceed two square feet for a single period of not more than seven days in any quarter calendar year.
(4)
Memorial plaques, cornerstones, historical tablets, and the like.
(5)
Signs not visible off the lot upon which they are situated and, in shopping districts (shopping centers), signs not visible at the district boundary.
(6)
Signs posted in conjunction with door bells or mailboxes, none exceeding seven square inches in surface area.
(7)
Signs required to be maintained or posted by law or governmental order, rule or regulation, unless specifically prohibited, limited, or restricted.
(8)
Small non-illuminated signs, not exceeding 1 1/2 square feet in surface area, displayed strictly for the direction, safety, or convenience of the public, including signs which identify rest rooms, parking area entrances or exits, freight entrances, or the like.
(9)
Address signs, not more than one for each street frontage of each principal use on a lot and none exceeding 72 square inches in surface area, showing only the numerical address designations of the premises upon which they are situated.
B.
Specific exemptions to which this article shall not apply are:
§ 450-27 General regulations.
The following regulations shall apply to all permitted sign uses:
A.
Signs must be maintained in good condition and not allowed to become dilapidated, and shall be removed if they come into a state of poor condition or repair or constitute a hazard to the traveling public.
B.
No sign shall be placed in such a position that it will cause danger to traffic on a street by obstructing the view of oncoming or intersecting traffic.
C.
No sign, other than an official traffic sign, shall be erected within the lines of any street unless specifically authorized by the Borough for a special purpose and for a specified period of time.
D.
No sign shall be erected that creates a conflict with traffic and safety signals.
§ 450-28 Restrictions and regulations on certain construction activities within the Special Downtown Historic Area.
[Amended 2-21-2017 by Ord. No. 617]
Within the Special Downtown Historic Area District, the following restrictions and limitations shall apply on construction and repair activities of buildings located within said area:
A.
As to those buildings which have unpainted natural brick, the same shall not be painted with any color whatsoever.
B.
Any colors used to paint any surface within said Special Downtown Historic Area shall be a color in substantial conformity with the "Historic Color Collection Colors."
C.
There shall be no construction or repair activities which shall substantially change the historic appearance of the Special Downtown Historic Area, but rather all structures which are constructed or repaired shall be done in such a way as to be substantially similar in appearance an aesthetically enhance the appearance of the said area.
§ 450-29 Permits.
A.
Any person who desires to construct or erect a sign or any person who desires to construct or repair a building, including painting, within the Special Downtown Historic Area shall first apply for a permit from the Borough.
B.
The applicant for such a permit first shall supply to the Borough any and all information which the Borough desires which is reasonably calculated to enable it to enforce the terms of this chapter and which fully discloses the nature and extent of the proposed activity.
C.
The Borough shall immediately develop applications and forms which shall be used in the application process for the permit herein described.
§ 450-30 Application for permit; fee.
A.
All applicants seeking a permit hereunder shall pay a fee of $25 to cover the cost and expenses connected with evaluation of the said application and the issuance of the permit.
B.
Upon receipt by the Borough of any such application, the Building Permit Officer or, if that position is vacant, the Borough Manager shall review the application together with accompanying documents to determine whether or not all of the provisions of this chapter and all other ordinances of the Borough of Coudersport are being complied with, with respect thereto, and if the proposed activity is in compliance, the permit shall be issued. On the other hand, if there is a defect or the application shows that the proposed activity would not be in compliance with this chapter, then the Building Permit Officer or Borough Manager shall notify the applicant of rejection and give reason and an explanation as to the basis of the rejection.