The Innovation Centre PAD (19-210-00011) was approved by the City Council on December 14, 2020, with the adoption of Ordinance No. 2020-1472. The PAD consists of approximately 224 acres intended for Commerce Park, Commercial/Retail and Entertainment, and Office/Employment land uses. The Innovation Centre PAD was approved contingent upon the start of vertical construction within two years of the effective date of the approving ordinance (January 14, 2023). As vertical construction has not commenced within the PAD, the applicant requested an extension of the approval. The City Council granted a two-year extension on February 6, 2023. On March 4, 2022, staff approved a master site plan (21-600-00042) for the commerce park portion of the Innovation Centre PAD, and at the request of the applicant, staff simultaneously reviewed an alternative master site plan (21-600-00063) for the property that was approved on May 25, 2022. The alternative plan consolidated the two largest buildings from the original approval into one 1,260,000 square foot building. |
Current Policy: The purpose of a CSP is to provide a comprehensive and coordinated approach to the design of signage that exhibits superior quality and effective messaging. In recognition of the benefits of cohesive and comprehensive sign design, modifications to the signage regulations as established in the city of Goodyear Zoning Ordinance may be appropriate within a CSP. A CSP in compliance with the regulations provided in Article 7, Sign Regulations, of the Zoning Ordinance may be approved by the Zoning Administrator after review and approval by the Development Review Committee. A CSP that proposes modifications to the regulations provided in Article 7 shall be reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission and approved by the City Council. The subject request is the latter of the two CSP types described above, and therefore requires Commission review and Council approval. Details of the Request: The request is for the approval of a CSP applicable to the 138.9-acre commerce park portion of the Innovation Center PAD, which has been identified as 10 Goodyear. A cohesive materials and color palette with a complementary design theme is intended to provide for a unified park. A brief description of the proposed signage, including any deviations from the city’s sign regulations, is provided below: 1. Monument Signs · The CSP requests a maximum of 2 “primary” project monument signs on the 1 primary project entrance drive o City sign regulations allow 1 monument sign at each driveway onto a public street o Requested number is double the regulation allowance · The 2 “primary” project monument signs are 40 feet high with a sign copy area of 97.4 sq. ft. o City sign regulations allow a maximum height of 12 feet and a maximum copy area of 48 sq. ft. o Requested height is over 3 times as high, and the requested copy area is twice the regulation allowance · The CSP requests a maximum of 9 “secondary” project monument signs on a total of 5 secondary project entrance drives (2 each on 4 drives, 1 on the 5th) o City sign regulations allow 1 monument sign at each driveway onto a public street o Requested number is almost double the regulation allowance · The 9 “secondary” project monument signs are 8 feet high with a sign copy area of 48 sq. ft. o Requested height and sign copy area are within sign regulation allowances 2. Tenant Monument Signs (identified in city sign regulations as directory signs) · The CSP requests a maximum of 18 “tenant” monument signs at internal driveways and intersections within the 5-building commerce park o City sign regulations allow 1 directory sign at each multi-tenant building onsite o Requested number is almost 4 times the regulation allowance · The 18 “tenant” monument signs are 6 feet high with a sign copy area of 48 sq. ft. o City sign regulations allow a maximum height of 6 feet with a sign copy area of 18 sq. ft. o Requested height is within the regulation allowance; sign copy area is almost triple the regulation allowance 3. Tenant Monument Signs at Frontage Road · The CSP requests a maximum of 2 “tenant” monument signs adjacent to Buildings A and E along the I-10 frontage road near the primary project entrance o Under the sign regulations in the Goodyear Zoning Ordinance, directory signs are to be located along drive aisles in the interior of the property. These two signs are not located along interior drive aisles, but will be located along the I-10 frontage road. Allowing the signs in the proposed locations is a deviation from the sign regulations in the Goodyear Zoning Ordinance. · These 2 “tenant” monument signs are 8 feet high with a sign copy area of 48 sq. ft. o City sign regulations allow a maximum height of 6 feet with a sign copy area of 18 sq. ft. o Requested height is 2 feet higher than the regulation allowance; sign copy area is almost triple the regulation allowance 4. Tenant ID Wall Signs · The CSP requests a maximum of 18 tenant ID wall signs distributed throughout the 5 buildings in the commerce park o City sign regulations allow wall signage for individual tenants in a building o Requested maximum number of signs has been established with no known tenants · The 18 tenant ID wall signs are 6 feet high o City sign regulations establish maximum size based on the linear front footage of the building area each tenant is in o Requested height of signs has been established without linear front footage of future tenant units known 5. Building Address Signs · The CSP requests a minimum of 1 building address sign per building in the commerce park o City sign regulations do not include building address sign criteria for commerce parks o The Fire Code establishes building address sign criteria for commerce parks for aiding in emergency services · The building address signs are 4 feet high x 15 feet wide with a sign copy area of 60 sq. ft. o City sign regulations do not include building address sign criteria for commerce parks o The Fire Code establishes building address sign criteria for commerce parks for aiding in emergency services 6. Vehicle Directional Signs · The CSP requests 1 vehicle directional sign at each driveway onto a public street and at major internal intersections within the commerce park o City sign regulations allow 1 vehicle directional sign at each driveway onto a public street and at major internal intersections o Requested number is per city sign regulation allowance · The vehicle directional signs are 6 feet 6 inches high x 3 feet wide with a sign copy area of 11 sq. ft. o City sign regulations allow a maximum height of 3 feet with a sign copy area of 6 sq. ft. o Requested height is double the regulation allowance; sign copy area is almost double the regulation allowance Evaluation Criteria: Article 7-10, Special Sign Areas, of the Zoning Ordinance establishes the criteria for the evaluation of a CSP. The criteria and accompanying staff analysis (italics) are provided below: · Size and Height: The comprehensive sign package shall demonstrate that all proposed signage is no larger than necessary for sufficient visibility and legibility. Factors to be considered in determining allowed size and height may include, but are not limited to, topography, traffic volumes, traffic speeds, visibility ranges, copy size and impact on adjacent property. The commerce park for which the CSP has been created will be developed at the southwest corner of the I-10 and the Loop 303, and as such, the primary entry into the commerce park is located approximately 35 feet below the I-10. Therefore, the CSP proposes two, 40-foot high x 10-foot wide primary monuments signs at the I-10 frontage road entrance. In addition, the proposed sign copy area on the primary monument signs is 97 sq. ft.; double the 48 sq. ft. allowed by the city sign regulations. The secondary monument signs located at the other five entrances into the commerce park are 8 feet high x 20 feet wide. City sign regulations allow monument signs to be 12 feet high, with no established width. Given the depressed grade of the commerce park site in relation to the elevated I-10 and the elevated SR 303, staff finds the height, width, and sign copy area of all proposed commerce park monument signs to be appropriate and supportable. Other proposed signage, i.e., tenant ID wall signs, and building wall address signs, that exceed the sizes allowed by the city sign regulations have been stipulated to adhere to Zoning Ordinance Article 7-8-C-4 and to Section 505.1 of the City of Goodyear Fire code amendments, as applicable. Staff realizes that the two primary monument signs are over three times the code-allowed height, however, due to the primary entry into the commerce park being 35 feet below the I-10, staff finds the height to be appropriate and supportable. Also, due to the significant size of the commerce park (138.9 acres) and intensity of the approved development (2,213,000 sq. ft.), it is likely that a significant number of customer and tenant vehicles will be accessing the 5-building commerce park, many of which will likely be coming from outside of the immediate area. As such, staff finds the total number of monument signs, and the location of all monument signs, to also be appropriate and supportable. · Location and Orientation: Signs should be located and oriented to allow sufficient visibility and legibility for pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Factors that may be considered in reviewing the appropriateness of the sign location and orientation may include, but are not limited to, location relative to the surrounding streets and land uses, traffic volumes and access points, visibility angles and topographic features. The commerce park for which the CSP has been created will be developed at the southwest corner of the I-10 and the Loop 303, and therefore, the majority of customer and tenant vehicular and truck traffic will be utilizing the I-10 and Loop 303 frontage roads to access the park. As such, the majority of the signage will be located either near or at the frontage roads or at the driveways off the frontage roads. The remainder of the signage is will be located on the interior of the park to assist customers and tenants in wayfinding. · Design, Colors and Materials: Signs proposed under the comprehensive sign package shall be harmonious with and enhance the architecture and theme of the specific development in which the signs are located. Compatibility with the specific development shall include the use of complementary colors, materials and architectural style. The design, colors, and materials used in the CSP will provide a cohesive design throughout the 10 Goodyear Commerce Park, and also with the buildings approved for development within the park. Staff finds the CSP will promote signage within the commerce park that is unique and cohesive, and is therefore considered appropriate and supportable. · Surrounding Land Uses: Signs shall not adversely impact adjacent land uses, especially adjacent residential land uses. The comprehensive sign package shall demonstrate the measures that will be taken to ensure the proposed signage will not adversely impact adjacent land uses in terms of lighting, size, location and orientation. The commerce park for which the CSP has been created will be developed at the southwest corner of the I-10 and the Loop 303, on the north side of an 80-foot wide Roosevelt Irrigation District (RID) canal, south of which is the Cotton Lane RV Park. The majority of the commerce park signage will be located either near or at the frontage roads or at the driveways off the frontage roads, and within the interior of the park, and minimal signage will be located at the project driveway at the southeast corner of the project north of the RID canal. However, to ensure that the Cotton Lane RV Park is not impacted, Staff has recommended a stipulation that any lighted signage is prohibited from facing the residential use to the south. With that stipulation, Staff finds the signage will not adversely affect any adjacent land uses, and is therefore appropriate and supportable. Staff Findings: The request meets the evaluation criteria for a CSP as set forth in Article 7, Sign Regulations, of the Zoning Ordinance, subject to the recommended stipulations of approval. |