Temporary signs at 3750 Monroe Avenue
One egregious example of apparently illegal temporary signage in the Town is a 3750 Monroe Avenue. There are two ‘temporary’ signs advertizing space available. I say ‘temporary’ since I believe the signs have been there for at least a year.
An oversize temporary sign at 3750 Monroe Avenue
First a note about how I go about checking if a sign is in my mind illegal. When I get annoyed enough after seeing it I’ll remember to bring my camera with me and take a few pictures, estimating how far the sign is from something like the sidewalk or the stripe on the side of the road as well as the sign size, if necessary.
The hard question is trying to decide where the sign is in relation to the lot boundary. I got no end of grief when I complained at the Town Building department about where a sign was. Even after I got them to pull out some plot maps they were not willing to concede that the sign was in the right of way. They were very reluctant actually go out and check the sign for themselves. They claimed they were too busy with the CheeseCake Factory construction even though they passed the sign in question in going from Town Hall to the CheeseCake Factory location!
Eventually the sign did get moved back from the road only to be replaced with a different Realtor’s sign that was halfway back to the original sign’s location. It stayed in what I believe to be an illegal location in the right of way for most of a year. I wasn’t willing to do battle over it – I waited to see if the Town would ever act on its own. Apparently it never did.
But I found a new tool. There is an online website that Monroe County runs that has lot lines superimposed on aerial photos that is easy to use. It apparently uses the same photos as Google Earth; I have seen cars in the identical place on maps from each source. Access to the maps is buried on Pittsford’s website but is much easier to get to with this link – http://www.mappingmonroe.org/mmb/ .
There are zoom and pan functions as well as a pulldown menu to take you directly to Pittsford but you will need to zoom in further to see a particular parcel. At map scales of less than about 1:2000 the image shows the lot lines with street numbers over the photo images. I usually need to go to about 1:1000 before I use the measurement tool (the ruler on the tool bar). Sidewalks are a little fuzzy in these photos but the white line along the edge of most roads gives a good place to measure from if needed.
Line shows tool measured distance from sidewalk to temporary sign
Most often, just knowing roughly where the property line is enough. If you look carefully at the image above clipped from using the mapping tool, you will see the black line and its indicated length.
Another interesting feature of the mapping site is the ‘I’ icon. Click on it, click within a parcel and then use the “Identify Results’ tab on the left and then expand results. All sorts of interesting information about a property: ownership, when built, tax status and assessments, etc.
But this is more than enough about my process and the actual location of the signs is not the problem here. I’ve estimated that the sign in question is about 10 feet from the sidewalk with the lot line 11.5 feet but it is a close call as to whether it is in the right of way.
The more significant problem is the size of the signs!
During the election campaign of 2007 I got annoyed about the number of signs on the 3750 parcel. In addition to whatever lease signs existed at the time, I counted as many as five political signs but given what had happened with the sign the previous summer, I did nothing.
No longer will that be the case.
Remember that the maximum size for a temporary sign in a non-residential zone in the Town is 12 square feet, all others must be under 8 square feet with a total of no more than 32 square feet.
Probably illegal Norry for lease sign
My estimate of the Norry sign is 4 feet by 7 ½ feet or 30 square feet. Nowhere in the Town of Pittsford would a sign this size be a legal temporary sign.
Pryamid's probably illegal sign
My estimate of the Pyramid sign is that it is 3 feet by 5 feet or 15 square feet. Nowhere in the Town of would a sign this size be a legal temporary sign.
Both of these signs independently apparently are in defiance of the Town temporary sign law!
How could Bill Carpenter not know about this apparent violation of the Pittsford Sign temporary sign ordinance?
He probably passes them every day on his way to work!
For years Bill’s voter registration address was home he owns on Washington Avenue in the Village. In recent years he has registered as residing on Colonial Parkway in the Town.
Based on Google map directions, here is the logical route to work from Colonial Parkway to Town Hall where his office is.
Google Earth Colonial Parkway to Town Hall route
The route goes right by 3750 Monroe Avenue! How can he not know about them?
This post is rather long but just to rub salt into the wound, take a look at these directional signs on the same property:
Is this sign too big, too?
I think a case can be made for these signs exceeding limits set in the code. Perhaps this will be another post some time.
But for now I’d settle for bringing the temporary signs under regulation.
Of course there might be some Zoning or Planning Board or something ruling that makes these somehow legal. But if so what is so special about this location to make these exceptions?
And then there is the interesting relationship between 3750 Monroe Avenue and Bill Carpenter. Once again, another post.