HomeMy WebLinkAboutA041 - Signage for Churches in Residential ZonesITEM #:44
DATE:10-13-26
DEPT:FIRE
SUBJECT:SIGNAGE FOR CHURCHES IN RESIDENTIAL ZONES
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
BACKGROUND:
At the September 8, 2026, City Council meeting, t he Council referred to staff a letter
from Jason Dietzenbach requesting a text amendment regarding allowable signage for
religious institutions in residential zones. A memo from staff regarding the issue was
reviewed at the September 22, 2026, meeting and the City Council asked for the item to
be placed on a future agenda. The memo, which for comparison purposes described the
Neighborhood Commercial (NC) and Convenience General Services (CGS) standards for
signs, is attached.
If the City Council is interested in a text amendment to allow a greater amount of signage area
for use types listed in Sec. 21.121(2) including schools, churches and fraternities/sororities,
staff recommends addressing a few specific concerns:
1. Lot Size. Some smaller lots may not need the extra sign square footage. Lots that
exceed four acres tend to have a need more proportionate to the size of the lot. Staff
recommends creating a differentiation based on lot size rather than the lot's
location on a non-arterial or arterial street.
2. Lighting. Digital signs have become more popular, but may not be compatible with the
residential neighborhood in many instances. The external lighting standard for the NC
zone is most compatible with residential areas. Staff recommends the Council
provide specific direction for staff to bring back standards for electronic message
signs at a future Council meeting instead of trying to incorporate them into this
amendment for size.
3. Sign Height. Staff recommends limiting the sign height on buildings so that any external
illumination would not cause concerns for neighboring properties. A standard of 16 feet
in height or no taller than the roof line of the structure, whichever is less, would be
sufficient.
To encompass these concerns, staff recommends a specific motion including these items. For
example:
"Utilize the CGS Zoning standards for sites greater than four acres if the signs are not
internally illuminated (this includes electronic message signs) and the sign is not
above the roof line of the structure or 16 feet above grade, whichever is less." This
recommendation would allow for 34 square foot signs on all streets and up to 70 square
feet along an arterial street.
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The recommendation above would allow the sign proposed by Lutheran Church of
Hope of up to 70 square feet to be permitted. It would continue to limit sites with
smaller lot areas of less than 4 acres to the currently allowed 16 square feet.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Direct staff to draft a text amendment that utilizes the CGS Zoning standards for sites
greater than four acres if the signs are not internally illuminated (this includes electronic
message signs) and the sign is not above the roof line of the structure or 16 feet above
grade, whichever is less.
2. Direct staff to draft a text amendment that utilizes the NC Zoning standards for sites
greater than four acres if the signs are not internally illuminated (this includes electronic
message signs) and the sign is not above the roof line of the structure or 16 feet above
grade, whichever is less.
This approach would limit the HOPE church to a maximum of 34 square feet, which is
less than the 70 square feet that is requested.
3. Direct staff to return with proposed standards regarding digital displays and sign lighting
in residential zones.
CITY MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
The standards within the Sign Code are very dated and most have not been updated
since the 1990s. Staff is supportive of adopting the standards that currently apply to
Neighborhood Commercial and Convenience General Services zones into the Sign
Code to apply to all building uses listed in Sec. 21.121(2) (public, educational,
charitable, fraternal or religious institutions, or privately owned parks, when such signs
are located on the premises of such institution) when the uses are on larger sites.
However, staff believes s maller sites, such as typical fraternity and sorority sites, do
not warrant larger signage. In addition, staff believes that there is a need to add
limitations to the digital displays within residential zones. Therefore, it is the
recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council approve either Alternative No. 1 or
No. 2 and Alternative No. 3, as described above.
ATTACHMENT(S):
8. S. Van Meeteren - Lutheran Church of Hope Sign.pdf
2. J. Dietzenbach - Text Amendment for sign at Lutheran Church of Hope.pdf
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MEMO
515.239.5153 main
515.232.5261 fax
515 Clark Ave. P.O. Box 811
Ames, IA 50010
www.CityofAmes.org
Fire Department
Inspections
To:
Cc:
Mayor and City Council
Kelly Diekmann, Planning and Housing Director
From:
Date:
Sara Van Meeteren, Building Official
September 16, 2026
Subject: Lutheran Church of Hope Sign
At the September 8, 2026 Council Meeting, the City Council referred a letter from Jason
Dietzenbach regarding signage at Lutheran Church of Hope. The letter requested a text
amendment that would allow larger signage for their church at 5001 Lincoln Way. This
site is zoned residential. Their rationale for changing the signage allowance is the
overall size of the church and its location along an arterial street.
The City primarily regulates signage standards within Chapter 21 of the Ames Municipal
Code which prohibits signage in residential zoning districts with the following
exceptions:
Sec. 21.121 On Premises Signage. For all signs subject to the sign regulations, in
agricultural, commercial and industrial zoning districts in the City of Ames except in the
S-HM District, there may be three (3) square feet of signage for each foot of street
frontage. Signs in the Planned Zoning districts are as permitted on the approved site
plan. Where any side of a building abuts on an alley, only painted on wall signs shall be
permitted on the side abutting the alley. Such sign shall be calculated as part of total
permissible signage. For all signs subject to the sign regulations in residential zoning
districts in the City of Ames, only the following signs are permitted:
1. Real estate signs not exceeding six (6) square feet in area, which advertise the
sale, rental, or lease of the premises upon which said signs are located only.
2. Signs, including bulletin boards, which are not over sixteen (16) square feet
in area for public, educational, charitable, fraternal or religious institutions,
or privately-owned parks, when such signs are located on the premises of
such institution.
3. Signs denoting only the name and profession/business or an occupant in a
commercial building, public institutional building, or dwelling house and not
exceeding two (2) square feet in area.
4. Single sign denoting the architect, engineer or contractor when placed upon work
under construction and not exceeding thirty-two (32) square feet in area.
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5. Memorial signs or tablets, names of buildings, and date of erection when cut into
any masonry surface or when constructed of bronze or other noncombustible
materials.
6. Publicly owned street name signs, traffic control signs, legal notices, railroad
crossing signs, danger and temporary warning or emergency signs; and
emblems, names, logos, and symbols on motor vehicles and equipment being
used for purposes other than the display of signs or advertising devices.
7. Public service signs which give only directions in and out or signs which provide
only information about directing people to ancillary facilities such as parking,
entrance, etc.
8. Temporary or portable sign.
9. Subdivision development signs.....
10. Residential subdivision entrance signs.....
11. Multiple-family development entrance signs....
12. Commercial signage for mixed-use developments...
The standards within the Sign Code are very dated and most have not been updated
since the 1990's. Therefore, staff has reviewed comparable sign standards that are part
of recent Zoning Ordinance changes related to compatibility with mixed use or adjacent
residential neighborhoods. For example, Neighborhood Commercial (NC) and
Convenience General Services (CGS) include and/or abut residential zones and have
specific standards written into the Zoning that are more restrictive than the base
standards in the Sign Code. The standards for these zones try to protect the abutting
single-family homes from nuisances, such as lighting, that can result from commercial
signage.
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These standards are summarized in the table below:
The sign shown in the applicant’s letter is a total of 66.65 square feet which is
under the maximum allowed 70 square feet in CGS, but not the maximum of 32
square feet allowed in NC. Note that one of the most significant issues related to
signs and their size is the lighting of signs, which is not addressed in the sign
code, but is addressed in the Zoning Ordinance for residential compatibility.
Staff would be supportive of adopting the standards that currently apply to NC or
CGS into the Sign Code to apply to all building uses listed in Sec. 21.121(2)
(public, educational, charitable, fraternal or religious institutions, or privately
owned parks, when such signs are located on the premises of such institution)
when the uses are on larger sites. Smaller sites such as typical fraternity and
sorority sites likely do not warrant larger signage. There may also need to be
details about placement on upper levels of buildings to address the compatibility
of larger wall signs on a building.
Over the last few years, staff have received complaints regarding the brightness
of signs in residential areas. Council may want to adopt more restrictions for or
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prohibit electronic message signs and/or illuminated wall signs in these zones to help
keep the amount of lighting and glare to a minimum. Staff recommends this issue be
addressed regardless of whether or not there is an interest in allowing for larger
signs in residential zoning districts.
If the City Council is interested in changing the sign standards to accommodate
the proposed sign at the Lutheran Church of Hope, they should direct staff to
draft a text amendment that is the same as the zones listed above, a mix of the
zones listed above, or require staff to do additional research creating alternative
standards.
Additionally, staff believe that addressing lighting allowances, especially in
reference to electronic message boards in and near residential zoning districts, is
a necessary update to the sign code.
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avecdesignbuild.com 131 Main Street, Ames, IA 50010 515.233.4641
August 28, 2026
Mayor Haila and City Council
City of Ames
PO Box 811
515 Clark Avenue
Ames, IA 50010
MayorCouncil@cityofames.org
RE: Lutheran Church of Hope – Building Signage
Dear mayor and city council,
I am writing to request a text amendment to the Municipal Sign Code (Sec. 21.121) regarding allowable signage
for religious institutions located in residential zones. This request is promoted by the construction of the new
Lutheran Church of Hope facility at 5119 Lincoln Way.
Currently, Sec. 21.121 limits religious institutional signage in residential districts to a maximum of 16 square feet.
While this threshold may suit smaller, neighborhood-scale religious institutions, it does not seem appropriate for
larger properties fronting major commercial corridors.
Several unique site conditions support an amendment to allow proportionally scaled signage for this location:
• Building Scale: A major 27,500 square foot facility.
• Property Size: A 22.22-acre parcel with extensive frontage along Lincoln Way.
• Traffic Speeds: Lincoln Way carries traffic moving at 50 MPH, requiring larger visual elements for safe
readability and visibility.
• Building Setback: The primary structure sits 220 feet back from the roadway, drastically reducing the
legibility of a standard 16 sq. ft. sign.
I request to have staff amend the code to allow for a larger amount of signage for this condition.
For reference, this rending
reflects a 5' x 13'-4" building
signage (66.65 SF).
Respectfully,
Jason Dietzenbach, AIA
Architect/Partner
Avec Design
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