3c. Sign Illumination MEMORANDUM 3c
CITY OF TO: Planning Commission
CHANHASSEN FROM: Sharmeen Al -Jaff, Senior Planner
7700 Market Boulevard DATE: April 3, 2012
PO Box 147
Chanhassen, MN 55317 0
SUBJ: Sign Illumination
Administration
Phone: 952.227.1100 BACKGROUND
Fax: 952.227.1110
Building Inspections On February 21, 2012, staff presented an issue paper addressing backlit signs verses
Phone: 952.227.1180 exposed neon. Staff explained that the intent of the ordinance requiring backlit signs is to
Fax: 952.227.1190 prevent glare. The Planning Commission was receptive to the idea of allowing signage
that promotes creativity in design but requested additional information on how to control
Engineering
Phone: 952.227.1160 glare.
Fax: 952.227.1170
ANALYSIS
Finance
Phone: 952.227.1140 The current ordinance regulating LED signs limits displays not to exceed 5,000 Nits
Fax: 952.227.1110 between the hours of civil sunrise and civil sunset and not exceed 500 Nits between the
hours of civil sunset and civil sunrise. The intensity of the luminous is automatically
Park & Recreation regulated through transformers that control the voltage output. Neon signs have less
Phone: 952.227.1120
Fax: 952.2271110 luminous intensity than LED. To insure that exposed neon does omit glare, staff is
proposing requiring limiting the luminous not to exceed 5,000 Nits between the hours of
Recreation Center civil sunrise and civil sunset and not to exceed 500 Nits between the hours of civil sunset
2310 Coulter Boulevard and civil sunrise. This will be in keeping with existing standards regulating signs in the
Phone: 952.227.1400 city.
Fax: 952.2271404
Planning &
Natural Resources
Phone: 952.227.1130 �..
MA NA G EMEN
Fax: 952.227.1110 BUSINESS RECORD ;� '•,
Public Works '
7901 Park Place \ .- .�...�;� •,�. .... f L
Phone: 952.227.1300 S } '''� ; �» c : '••
Fax: 952.227.1310 r • • _ _ ' "'• • 'r 600
Exposed Neon Backlit Neon LED Sign
Senior Center
Phone: 952.227.1125 RECOMMENDATION
Fax: 952.2271110
Web Site The Planning Commission direct staff to revise the city code regulating exposed neon
www.ci.chanhassen.mn.us consistent with the current code regulating LED signs. This will allow a variety of
methods of illumination but regulate the transformer power to the sign, which in turn
controls the glare and brightness of the sign.
g: \plan \city code\2012 \exposed neon \final issue paper sign illumination.doc
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