Sign regulations along three downtown shopping corridors would be refined to increase advertising flexibility for local businesses through changes proposed to City Council today by Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Based on input from retail tenants and property owners, the Michigan Avenue Special Sign District and the Street Street/Wabash Avenue Special Sign District would be amended to expand the sizes and types of signs that are allowed within each area.

The amended regulations would accommodate new technology and best practices involving retail signage while maintaining the historic character of each shopping corridor, said Ciere Boatright, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development (DPD), which administers sign guidelines within the City’s zoning code.

“Retailers across the country are facing existential challenges involving brick-and-mortar stores, and more flexible sign regulations are a proven way to reach customers and increase sales,” Commissioner Boatright said. “These refinements reflect a commitment to businesses while also protecting each area’s legacy as a premiere, one-of-a-kind shopping destination.”

Established in 1996, the Michigan Avenue Special Sign District would amend corridor advertising regulations between Roosevelt Road and Oak Street. The refinements would increase a business’s maximum total sign area from two to three square feet per linear foot of street frontage. They would also allow previously prohibited signs, including:

• Banner signs, with maximum dimensions of four feet by 15 feet
• Projecting signs, with maximum dimensions of four feet by three feet.
• Illuminated letters and logos for cabinet signs, with maximum dimensions of three feet by 10 feet.
• And interior dynamic image display signs up to 30% of each window size and up to 64 square feet per lot. Operating hours would be limited to between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. with one change per 15 minutes.

Additionally, the Michigan Avenue sign district refinements would:

• Increase the maximum size of window signs from 15 to 30% of a window’s area.
• And increase the maximum size of lettering on awning signs from 9 to 12 inches.

Established in 2004, the updated State Street/Wabash Avenue Special Sign District would amend corridor advertising regulations between Wacker Drive and Harrison Street. The refined regulations would allow previously prohibited:

• Projecting signs, with maximum dimensions of four feet by three feet.
• Window signs, up to 30% of a window’s area.
• And interior dynamic image display signs up to 30% of each window size and up to 64 square feet per lot. Operating hours would be limited to between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. with one change per 15 minutes.

Additionally, the State/Wabash sign district refinements would:

• Eliminate setback requirements for signs located within shop windows, currently set at three feet.
• Allow lettering on awning signs to include content other than a business’s name and address.
• And leave unchanged current sign area maximums of four square feet per linear foot of street frontage on State, and six square feet per linear square foot of frontage on Wabash.

Both special sign districts would update regulations for live theaters, allowing dynamic image displays on the endcaps of exterior marquees. Marquee signs would also not count towards the maximum sign areas for each lot.

The public-private working group that helped create the proposed changes was formed as a result of Mayor Johnson’s “Cut the Tape” initiative and recommendations from the Urban Land Institute, which recently convened technical assistance panels to restore mixed-use vitality for Michigan and State.

Additional sign district amendments could be considered in the future that address more complex proposals involving contemporary advertising innovations.