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Source: The Arizona Daily Sun, FlagstaffOct.self storage 17--One of Flagstaff's only off-site shopping center signs has advanced toward final passage by the Flagstaff City Council.And if approved, the sign for the Flagstaff Mall might open the door to other off-premises signs, too.Macerich Corp., the owners of the Flagstaff Mall, has proposed a 22-foot high sign on North Country Club Drive at East Nestle Purina Avenue, just off Interstate 40.The sign was included in a legal settlement between the city and the mall owners in 2011, and its implementation is just now being brought to the council. Westcor owned the mall at that time.The Flagstaff Planning and Zoning Commission, made up of volunteers, voted unanimously last month against creating a special district needed to erect the sign -- the city code prohibits off-site signs and members said an exception for the mall was not warranted.But city staff noted that if the proposal was rejected, the city would likely incur more legal expenses in the matter.On Tuesday the council gave first reading to the ordinance establishing the sign district, with a final vote likely to take place in early November.Based on councilmembers comments, it appears the council is divided. A majority wants to approve the mall sign, but one faction wants to give all property owners an equal chance to get approval for a sign district, while another does not.The proposed sign, according to an artist's rendering, would announce the "Flagstaff Mall, The Marketplace and Auto Park" and contain panels for individual stores and other tenants, as shown in the staff report.The proposed sign area is 216 square feet for each sign face, 20 feet in height to the top of the sign cabinet, and 22 feet and six inches in overall height, as stated in the staff report.A settlement agreement signed in December 2011 between the city and Westcor, stipulated that the city would permit the construction of a new sign advertising the Flagstaff Mall and Marketplace, as stated in the report."Failure to adopt this ordinance may result in the City incurring additional legal expenses," as stated in the report.Councilmember Mark Woodson said: "I think the city has painted itself in a corner," noting it may have to give "preferential treatment" it doesn't give to others.Should the city change the sign rules to provide this opportunity to all businesses or not, Woodson asked.Mayor Jerry Nabours said not all off-premise 迷你倉igns are undesirable. Some can be "helpful" and provide direction. He said he did not include billboards in this category.During the public hearing, resident Matt White said: Imagine a view of Mount Elden and a sign five feet higher than the back of a semi-truck in the foreground of that view."This might be good for business, but I am worried about the domino effect," White said.Garrett Newland, vice president of Macerich, the mall owner, said: "Our company has worked very hard with the city for two years to reach a settlement. The sign easement agreement was approved by the (former) council and (it was) a good faith understanding."Newland said the sign agreement portion of the settlement was a "significant consideration as we went forward with the settlement. "He said the Flagstaff Mall is one of the top sales-tax generators in the city and employers."We are working with a major tenant and this sign is key to that tenant" deciding to come to the mall, he added.City Planning Commissioner Jim McCarthy, who voted against recommending the council approve the sign district in a unanimous decision, said: "The previous council made a private commitment to the (mall) land owner." Equal protection under the law, he added, does not allow one to have special treatment over another.Woodson said: "This sign really is 371 square feet. This is a very big sign."Councilmember Jeff Oravits said: "We've been asked to revise the sign code after the New Year. I will support this, but a precedent is being set"Added Oravits: "If we're doing this for one business, we need to (change the code) for other businesses. I look forward to the sign code discussion.Councilmember Scott Overton said: "I do not support changing the sign code," adding it would be best to restrict it to this one case.Councilmember Coral Evans said: "I am not interested in changing the entire sign code."The mayor reminded council to take into consideration that the mall is a regional shopping center containing more than 600,000 square feet of building space, including retail and restaurants.The council went into executive session for legal advice. When it returned, it voted to hold the first reading of the ordinance, moving the process along toward a final vote in November.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff, Ariz.) Visit The Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff, Ariz.) at .azdailysun.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesmini storage