2007 0118 Regular City Commission Meeting

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Summary Minutes: Regular City Commission Meeting January IS, 2007 City of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida Mr. Solera said it is very important to indicate the distance between the window and the 3- feet, any sign located, even ifit is detached from the window, ifit is within the 3-feet it will count toward the l5%, in other words you might have window signs attached to the window and you might have signs just behind it, a combination of, will be based on l5%. Mayor Edelcup said if they go beyond the 3-feet and I-inch then they can have both signs. Vice Mayor Thaler said he doesn't understand then the difference now ifit is 15% between the special events because one sign is coming down and the other sign is going up, why do we need both of them. Mr. Solera said because the special event is for a small period of time it is not to be permanently there, we want to separate one from the other, the store owner understands that he has a right to have a specific size of sign which is within the l5% but he also has a right to come in and have a special sign for perhaps a sale. Mayor Edelcup said why have a time limit if he is allowed to have one sign at l5% at all times no matter which sign is there. City Attorney Ottinot asked to be given time to look at this, and Mayor Edelcup said yes we are not approving anything tonight, but what he is saying is that we are not calling it a holiday [special events] sign anymore, we are just saying that they can change their sign. Isaac Feldman said he didn't know about that meeting but Mr. Solera said that they notified a number of representatives and had about seven turn out for the meeting. He said Mr. Feldman's office was notified and that he was out on an emergency those two weeks, they informed the secretary as to the time and the place. Mr. Feldman said real estate needs are different from the rest of business needs and they would like to have listings in the window, but he doesn't feel that a television/computer should be considered as part of the sign. Mayor Edelcup said for years we have been trying to standardize the signage for our City. He said we have always been moving toward the approach of standardization for a clean look for the City. He stated that we are not charting new areas because we have modeled this ordinance after two other cities that have been relatively new in their development, Westin and Coral Springs. Commissioner Iglesias said through the years even the Department of Transportation is now regulating the outdoor advertising, first because it is a distraction and second to keep it clean. He said in today's day and age, especially real estate, you can look on the internet. He said what we are trying to do is to give the business owner a chance to be a little innovative, keep the City clean, and have the opportunity in the space that is given, to put an innovative sign to get them inside the store. He said what we are trying to do is to clean the sign pollution that we have had in the City for a long time. Commissioner Goodman said he agrees with Commissioner Iglesias, and that we have given the merchants and real estate people in the City of Sunny Isles Beach five years to come into compliance. Vice Mayor Thaler said in Mr. Feldman's store at the far left, there is a plastic sign that you can slide your ads in, that is what we are looking for, it will be a clean looking sign area with multi ads in it. City Manager Szerlag asked Community Development Director Solera to elaborate on the issue of having a video or a computer as a sign. Mr. Solera said that they have considered 17