15.20.150 General commercial, entry commercial areas and public reserve.
In areas zoned general commercial, entry commercial and public reserve, the following regulations apply:
A. The aggregate sign area for any lot shall not exceed two square feet for each foot of street frontage. Aggregate sign area for corner lots shall not exceed one and one-half square foot for each foot of street frontage;
B. Projecting and awning signs are permitted. Sign size shall not exceed forty-five square feet of area and shall maintain a vertical clearance of ten feet from the bottom edge of the sign or awning to the sidewalk surface;
C. Wall signs are permitted. The size of a wall sign shall not exceed ten percent of the building facade on which they are located, and no more than two signs are permitted per facade. For buildings with multiple tenants, maximum sign size shall be based on that portion of the facade occupied by each individual tenant;
D. Freestanding signs are permitted. One freestanding sign is permitted per street frontage; provided, that corner lots with less than eighty feet on each street shall be permitted only one freestanding sign (except for freestanding off-premises signs, as provided for in subsection (E) of this section). Freestanding signs shall not exceed two hundred square feet of total sign area, and no one face shall exceed one hundred square feet. The height for a freestanding sign shall not exceed thirty-five feet;
E. Off-premises signs are allowed in the entry and general commercial zones, provided:
1. Off-premises signs shall be permitted only for businesses located not more than one block off of First Street, or not more than one block off of the principal arterial serving the business, except for public benefit signs;
2. In general commercial, off-premises freestanding sign dimensions shall follow the guidelines within subsection (D) of this section;
3. A general commercial property fronting on First Street may choose to allow one additional off-premises freestanding sign, for another general commercial business property (which contains at least twenty thousand square feet of commercial floor space). This sign must follow regulations within this subsection (E), and other sections of this chapter;
4. In entry commercial, no off-premises sign shall exceed six feet in height, if not overhanging a pedestrian pathway or vehicle lane;
5. In entry commercial, off-premises signs shall not exceed twenty-four square feet per sign face, and shall have no more than two faces;
6. Off-premises signs shall not be allowed within any right-of-way and must be located no further than five hundred feet from the exterior boundary of the parcel upon which the business is situated; provided, however, that this prohibition does not apply to public benefit signs;
7. Only one off-premises sign permitted per business or organization, with the exception of public benefit signs;
8. The sign copy of the off-premises sign shall be limited to copy, text and graphics of the business or facility benefiting from the off-premises sign;
9. A notarized agreement from the property owner on whose property the sign will be located is required as part of the application. At a minimum, the agreement shall address:
a. Final responsibility for maintenance, removal and nuisance/abatement issues will be that of the property owner upon which the off-premises sign is located;
b. The right of use of the off-premises sign is neither assignable nor transferable without sign permit approval from the city of Cle Elum; and
c. That the property owner upon which the sign is to be located authorizes the sign to be placed upon their property;
F. Sandwich boards and portable signs are allowed under the following conditions:
1. They shall not exceed two feet in overall width and four feet overall height;
2. Must be wind-firm in some acceptable manner;
3. May not obstruct more than twenty percent of a sidewalk or right-of-way. A minimum clearance of clear passage shall be six feet;
4. Shall not be placed in or on a street or alley right-of-way;
5. Shall be constructed of materials that are hard, durable, weather proof and permanent. Signs shall be constructed in an “A” frame fashion only. Copy and images shall only indicate the name and type of business. Changeable copy is not permitted except for hand drawn lettering or graphics such as a chalkboard;
6. Shall be allowed only immediately in front of the business being occupied. Provided that a property owner may grant another business owner the right to locate a sign on their property frontage if the businesses are located on the same block and not more than one sign is permitted;
7. Only one sign is permitted per lot, structure or business;
8. Shall not obstruct sight distance requirements on public streets; and
9. Shall be removed from public view during closed hours.