Planning Commission to weigh setting hearing for commercial sign variance change

What the records say

In materials published ahead of the July 14, 2026, Planning Commission meeting, staff recommended the commission set a public hearing date for an amendment to the city's sign code. The proposal targets large commercial properties and multi-occupancy complexes. ¹

• Staff asked the Planning Commission on July 14, 2026, to set a public hearing date for the Sign Code Variance Amendment.
• Current sign code rules prohibit granting variances that would increase the number of signs on a property.
• The proposed amendment adds a new criterion allowing a variance for one additional sign at sites over two acres or multi-occupancy complexes visible from multiple roadways.

Why it matters

If adopted, the change would give businesses on large corner lots or multi-tenant shopping centers a path to request one extra sign to help drivers find them. It does not guarantee an extra sign — each request would still go through a variance process overseen by a hearing examiner — but it would remove the current automatic barrier to increasing sign counts for those specific properties. Residents who want to weigh in on the change would get their chance during the public hearing, which is the next step the commission was being asked to schedule. ¹

What changed / what's next

• Proposed addition of criterion (6) to MMC 22C.160.300, creating an exception to the existing ban on increasing sign counts via variance for large commercial sites (over two acres) or multi-occupancy complexes when the site is visible from multiple roadways or has unique circumstances. ¹
• Whether the Planning Commission sets a public hearing date for the sign code amendment, which would allow public comment on the change. ¹
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome. ¹