To prevent another big sign like the one Donald Trump attached to his riverfront skyscraper, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is introducing an ordinance allowing new signs along the waterway but substantially reducing their size.
In June, through a spokesman, Emanuel called the Trump sign "awful" and "in very poor taste," prompting international media coverage of the war of words waged by the brash Chicago mayor and the brash New York developer and reality TV star.
Now, unable to remove a sign that his administration greenlighted, Emanuel wants to stop any repeats by regulating the size, placement and materials of high-rise signs along the downtown waterfront.
He proposes a protected zone, to be called the Chicago River Corridor Special Sign District. Had it been in place before Trump received permission for his sign, its size would have been cut by more than fivefold, from the 2,891 square feet that was allowed to 550 square feet, city officials said.
The developer also would have been forced to place the sign directly beneath the building's highest roofline - some 1,100 feet in the air - instead of the sign's current location about 200 feet above ground, where it looms over the heavily trafficked Michigan Avenue Bridge.
The idea of sign restrictions along the river has its critics, including property rights advocates who say owners should be free to treat their buildings as they see fit. Trump himself has said the public loves his sign.
Emanuel has framed the matter as a way to ensure that Chicago's downtown Riverwalk, which he envisions as a recreational showplace lined with trees, walking paths and restaurants, is not marred by Las Vegas-style excess. Construction workers are now extending the Riverwalk in a six-block area from State Street to Lake Street. The $100 million project is expected to open as early as 2015.
The proposed sign ordinance says it would ensure that new signs "do not detract from the character of the area, do not have a negative impact on the area, and do not create visual clutter."
The legislation is expected to be introduced at October's City Council meeting.
If approved, the ordinance would not apply retroactively to Trump's sign, which was originally approved by Mayor Richard M. Daley's administration at 3,600 square feet, then allowed by the Emanuel administration after its size was slightly reduced.
The ordinance would follow the well-established legal precedent of special sign districts that Chicago has set up for such high-profile streets as Michigan Avenue.
The riverfront sign district would consist of all properties adjacent to the Chicago River from Roosevelt Road on the south to Kinzie Street on the north, and would extend to Lake Shore Drive on the east. All parcels on Wacker Drive between Lake Street and Lake Shore Drive would be covered.
The legislation was drafted by the city's Department of Planning and Development, officials said. Among its provisions:
•Sign size would be tied to a building's height; the taller the building, the bigger the sign allowed. For example, the maximum sign size for a high-rise 150 to 199 feet tall would be 250 square feet. The biggest allowable sign for a high-rise of 500 or more feet would be 550 square feet.
•Several types of signs would be prohibited, including neon signs, flashing signs, roof signs and banners.
•Buildings along the riverfront would be limited to one high-rise sign. Today, two are allowed, city officials said.
•High-rise building signs would be allowed only for the "business identification for the principal tenant" of a building, a tenant occupying 51 percent or more of a building's floor space.
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