ord-04-2025-centreville_zoning_text_amendment.pdf

TOWN COUNCIL OF CENTREVILLE

ORDINANCE NO. 04-2025

AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN COUNCIL OF CENTREVILLE AMENDING

THE TOWN OF CENTREVILLE ZONING ORDINANCE CODIFIED AS CHAPTER

170 OF THE TOWN CODE TO CLARIFY THE PROCEDURES AND CRITERIA BY

WHICH SIGNAGE MAY BE APPROVED

WHEREAS, the Town Council of Centreville (“Town”) is authorized by the Maryland Annotated Code (“Code”), Land Use Article, Section 4-102 et seq. to enact and administer a zoning ordinance, which ordinance is Chapter 170 of the Centerville Town Code;

WHEREAS, Section 4-102(6) of the Land Use Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland authorizes the Town Council of Centreville to regulate the location and use of buildings, signs and structures on land; and WHEREAS, Section 170-62 of the Code of the Town of Centreville (“Town Code”) provides for amendments to the regulations, restrictions, and boundaries set forth in Chapter 170 of the Town Code;

WHEREAS, the Town Council wishes to amend Section 170-38(B)(1) of the Town Code to define “Monument Signs” and authorize Monument Signs in the Planned Business District

(“PBD”);

WHEREAS, the Centreville Planning and Zoning Commission considered this matter at its _________ 2025 meeting and recommended that the Town Council approve this Ordinance;

and WHEREAS, the Town Council held a public hearing on this Ordinance on ___________, 2025.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Town Council of Centreville:

Section 1.

The recitals set forth above are hereby incorporated herein by reference and made part of this Ordinance.

Section 2. Article IX, Chapter

170 of the Town Code, Section

170-70 Definitions

is hereby amended to add the definition of a Shopping Center and General Signage Plan as provided below. The provisions shown as bold-underlined are added to the Town Code, and those shown as bold-strike through are deleted:

COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN. A scaled drawing or diagram that indicates the location, size, and type of signs that will be used within a Shopping Center.

… SHOPPING CENTER. A group of three (3) or more architecturally unified commercial establishments with a total gross floor area of more than 10,000 square feet which are planned, constructed, and managed as a total entity with customer and employee parking provided on-site.

… SIGN….

L. MONUMENT SIGN. A freestanding sign, not more than ten feet in height, that is supported by a monument which: (i) does not have any exposed pole or pylon, (ii) may include the names and logos of the Shopping Center and the businesses located on or adjacent to the premises, and (iii) may be dual-sided.

ML. PLACARD/EASEL SIGN …[advancing L. through Q.]

Section 3. Article IX, Chapter

170 of the Town Code, Section 170-38(B)(1) is hereby amended as follows:

B. General Regulations.

1. Signs requiring permits. Other than temporary signs provided for in Subsection

D herein and exempt signs as provided herein, no sign shall be erected, enlarged, or altered without a permit from the Zoning Administrator.

Applications for permits shall be submitted to the Zoning Administrator. Each application shall be accompanied by drawings and written material showing the area and general appearance of the sign, the method of illumination, the exact location of the proposed sign, and the method of construction and/or attachment of such sign to the building or structure. Signs that do not extend over seven feet above existing grade and are completely screened from view, inclusive of

light, from public roadways and other parcels by on-site buildings, structures, evergreen landscaping, and/or grade differences are exempt from the sign provisions of this chapter including the requirement to obtain a permit. Signage within Shopping Centers shall be developed in accordance with an approved Comprehensive Signage Plan.

Section 4. Article IX, Chapter

170 of the Town Code, Section 170-38 is amended as follows to include a new subsection (G) to establish the procedure for approval of a Comprehensive Signage Plan for a Shopping Center:

G. Shopping Center Comprehensive Signage Plans.

1. In the Planned Business District, signage within a Shopping Center shall

be subject to the signage standards of Attachment 9:2 (Table 3), unless a Comprehensive Signage Plan is approved for the Shopping Center (See Note 5).

2. The Planning Commission may approve a Comprehensive Signage Plan

depicting the location, size, materials, and lighting (but not content) for all signs desired within a Shopping Center. In its review, the Commission shall consider the request in the context of the site, the compatibility and consistency of the signs with themselves and with respect to the unit(s) or building they are identifying, safety/visibility concerns, lighting, and other neighborhood compatibility issues. Signage for Shopping Centers shall be

reasonably consistent throughout the Shopping Center and appropriate for the architectural design of the building(s). Directional and information signs shall be adequately provided and design coordinated. The periodic replacement of individual signs as tenants change shall not require modification of the Comprehensive Signage Plan, unless the Zoning Administrator determines the proposed signage materially deviates from

the approved Comprehensive Signage Plan.

Section 4. Article IX, Chapter

170 of the Town Code, Section 170-38(F)(4) is amended as follows:

4. Off-premises signs. Any sign advertising or identifying a business or

organization which is not located on that premises, other than temporary signs or monument signs for a Shopping Center, which may include signage for businesses or organizations located on parcels that are within 1,000 feet of the monument sign. Existing off-premises signs for which a valid permit has been issued will be permitted to remain for a period of one year from the date of the adoption of this ordinance.

Section 4. Article IX, Chapter

170 of the Town Code, 170 Attachment 9:2 (Table 3) is amended as follows:

Zoning Sign Types Number Signage Area Maximum Maximum Illumination Other District Permitted of Signs Determination Signage Height Permitted Provisions Allowed Area for (feet) Each Sign Type (sq.ft.) Planned Monument 1 per Limited by 260 10 Internal Business street maximum (130 per or District frontage signage area side) External

(PBD)

NOTES:

1. Excepting Monument Signs, within a Shopping Center, the quantity and signage area limitations set

forth above may apply on a per tenant or per unit basis upon the Planning Commission’s approval of a Comprehensive Signage Plan for the Shopping Center.

Section 5.

If any section, clause, paragraph, sentence, or phrase of the Ordinance or application thereof to any person, property, or circumstance is held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity or unconstitutionality shall in no way affect other provisions or any other application of this Ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid or unconstitutional provision or application, and for this purpose the provisions of this Ordinance

are declared severable.

ATTEST: THE TOWN COUNCIL OF CENTRVILLE

_______________________________ ____________________________________

R. Gaye Adams Ashley H. Kaiser, Esq., President ____________________________________

First Reading: ______________ Jeffrey D. Kiel, Vice President Second Reading: ____________

Enacted: ___________________

Effective: __________________

____________________________________

Daniel B. Worth, Member ____________________________________

Sandy L. Huffner, Member ____________________________________

Jim A. Beauchamp, Member