by Glenn Tschimpke
Staff Writer
The days of small, obscured retail signs on downtown buildings may be numbered.
A subcommittee of City Council’s Land Use and Zoning Committee is investigating a possible legislation change that would give downtown merchants greater flexibility to advertise their businesses. The move would mesh neatly with the Downtown Development Authority’s Downtown Master Plan, which calls for a comprehensive, methodical revitalization of Jacksonville’s urban core.
“Right now, you can’t have signage downtown,” said Council vice president Suzanne Jenkins. “If we want ground floor retail like the Downtown Master Plan says and we want businesses to move back in, we have to give these guys an opportunity for signage.”
The changes would loosen the current legislation by adding a downtown-specific section to the sign ordinance. It would allow a variety of pedestrian-scale displays throughout downtown, including window signs, awning signs, flush wall mounted units and projecting displays, which extend perpendicular from buildings.
It would go a long way toward creating a greater awareness of retail outlets and restaurants downtown. Currently, eateries like Firehouse Subs in the Police and Fire Pension Building on West Adams Street and Ed’s Spanish-American Cooking in the Blackstone Building on East Bay Street are relegated to inconspicuous and ineffective window signs. Firehouse’s sign is partially obscured by an awning. Ed’s is limited to an eight and a half by 11-inch plaque and a small stand-alone sign tucked away under the covered entrance of the Blackstone Building. The new legislation would change that.
For example, ground floor retail tenants in a multi-story building would be permitted one square foot of signage for every linear foot of store front, meaning a 20-foot long store front may have a 20 square-foot sign. The tenant would have the freedom to use the sign area in a variety of ways: one large wall sign, a combination of a medium window sign and a projecting sign, or two window signs. Any combination could be used as long as the aggregate sign area does not exceed, in this case, 20 square-feet. The other limiting factor is the DDA.
They must go through a design review process,” said Jason Thiel, project manager for the DDA. “But they can get creative with signs.”
The DDA would be the cognizant authority for all downtown signage issues and would review sign applications from a qualitative and quantitative aspect. They would approve or disapprove each application on a case by case basis while keeping with the spirit of the Downtown Master Plan. The Building Inspection Division would then review each application for safety concerns, such as electrical permitting and insurance issues.
“The problem in the past is a lot of the zoning districts have been very restricted [like the downtown area],” said Thiel. “That’s really hampered retail efforts for a lot of people. So this is a proposed relief valve, if you will. It’s really to bring the street pedestrian ground floor activity to life. And that’s what we need downtown. This is, hopefully, one example of how to do that.”
The amendment also allows temporary signs while a tenant’s application is under review by the City — something previously not permitted. The subcommittee is still massaging the language of the draft to address parking lots and garages as well as exempted signs like special event banners and temporary signs.
Jenkins expects the final draft to be ready by March or early April for a vote by the full Council.