On December 8, 2014, the City Council adopted an amendment to the SMC Title 20.56 Signs. The adopted Sign Code includes new standards governing portable and temporary signs.

In February 2015, the Builders Association of Northern Nevada (BANN) requested that the City of Sparks allow home builders to post temporary signs in the public right-of-way between Saturday 8 am and Sunday midnight directing customers to their developments. The BANN proposal provides for how long signs can be posted, what types signs are permitted and where they can be placed. The proposal includes allowing a maximum of 30 signs per community. In March 2015, Councilman Ron Smith requested that a discussion item be put on the agenda regarding the BANN proposal.

On April 13, 2015, staff reviewed the BANN proposal for temporary signs in the public right-of-way with City Council. At this meeting, City Council directed staff to identify options for addressing the request by homebuilders for more temporary signage and report back to City Council on May 11^th. On April 16, 2015, a representative from BANN contacted staff and stated that this organization no longer wish to pursue their proposal.

Staff has reviewed the Temporary Sign Section of SMC 20.56 Sign Code. The following is the section from the Sign Code governing the number of temporary signs:

At the discretion of the property owner and with the issuance of a temporary sign permit, each site may display up to two (2) signs per public street entrance, not to exceed eight (8) signs and restricted to a period as designated or specified on the Temporary Sign Permit application. Display of temporary signs shall be based on a calendar year between January to December and must be reapplied for annually. If the site has any digital signs, the number of allowed temporary signs shall be reduced by two (2) for each digital sign. 

When the regulations governing the use of temporary signs were written, staff focused on the use of temporary signs in commercial and industrial areas. These regulations were written for sites or uses that have defined entrances and/or access points.  These temporary sign regulations were not, however, specifically written to address temporary signs for homebuilders to advertise or direct traffic to model home complexes located within a new development.

Staff initially identifies that the Sign Code could be amended to address temporary signs for residential sales, at the City Council’s discretion. Options could include establish temporary sign regulations for multi-family development, single family home individual sales and sale of single family homes with model home(s). Another option would be to clarify the existing regulations for temporary signs to be standards for multi-family developments, commercial and industrial. As residential sales of single family homes is a temporary use which ends when the homes are sold, staff suggests that it would be appropriate to provide more generous temporary sign limits. Possible ways to determine the maximum number of temporary signs permitted could be based on the number of units or the development size. The placement of temporary signs would be restricted to be on private property. If the staff is given direction to initiate a code amendment, staff will access alternatives and meet with stakeholders to get input on the proposed draft before it would go to public hearings at Planning Commission and City Council.

1. Take no action.
2. Direct staff to immediately initiate a code amendment to address temporary signs for residential sales.
3. Direct staff to address temporary signs for residential sales to be part of the Zoning Code update.

None. See alternative above.