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The council of the city of San Luis Obispo has determined that these sign regulations are necessary for the following purposes:

A. Protecting and enhancing the character of the community and its various neighborhoods and districts against visual blight. Furthermore, a proliferation of signs can seriously detract from the pleasure of observing the natural scenic beauty of San Luis Obispo and the built environment;

B. Regulating the size, type and location of signs to encourage the effective use of signs as a means of communication and to provide equality and equity among sign owners and those who wish to use signs;

C. Controlling the size and number of signs is consistent with community goals and policies expressed in the general plan to ensure that new signs are consistent with overall city goals to protect San Luis Obispo’s physical identity and character by maintaining and enhancing the community with distinctive, attractive, and pedestrian-oriented commercial areas and neighborhoods. The sign regulations work together with the community design guidelines and historic preservation guidelines to achieve these goals;

D. Ensuring that the design of signs are architecturally compatible with affected structures and the character of surrounding development in order to maintain the overall quality of a neighborhood or commercial district;

E. Limiting the number and size of all signs to avoid visual clutter which is detrimental to the character of the community;

F. Protecting public safety by ensuring that official traffic regulation devices be easily visible and free from nearby visual obstructions and distractions, such as attention-getting signs, an excessive number of signs, or signs in any way resembling official signs;

G. Protecting the constitutionally guaranteed right of free speech by enacting regulations to regulate the time, place and manner under which signs are permitted, and not the content of signs. Although examples of content may be provided in these regulations, content will not be used as a basis for determining whether or not a proposed sign may be permitted. (Ord. 1667 § 3(2) (Exh. A (part)), 2019)