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Page 2 . VN-181 2. A sign plan is approved by the City Council. Such approval may be granted only after public hearing and shall require a 4/5 vote of the entire City Council. This procedure (not conditions) shall be the same as that for a variance. The application fee shall be fifty (50) dollars. Such sign plan shall show existing and proposed signs and/or billboards and shall have a schedule listing the dates by which each non-conformity will be elim- inated. Such plan must show the elimination of all signing non-conformities within five (5) years of sign plan approval, and must show the elimination of a minimum of fifteen (15) per cent of the signing and/or billboard non-conformities each year. The City Council may place conditions on the sign plan deemed necessary to meet the intent of Section 14-230. The applicant has illegally erected a ground sign located adjacent to Old Highway 8, just north of their driveway entrance. The sign consists of 4 individual posts which constitute 4 ground signs. A permit cannot now be issued for this sign a~ the 4 signs are in violation of the above noted Section 14-120(e). In March, 1977 the Council approved a variance application to permit the applicant to erect wall signs somewhat larger than permitted by ordinance. A t the time of this approval it was noted that there are non-conforming billboards on the property. A condition of the variance approval is that by 1980, when the billboard leases expire, all the billboards must be brought into conformance with the zoning code. The billboards, however, are still non-conforming and, therefore, subject to the above noted Section 14-230(2) covering non-conforming signs. As the applicant cannot now qualify under either of the options detailed in the section covering non-conforming signs. -The present variance request is also seeking relief from this ordinance section. The variance request proposes a sign that is both identification and sculptural. While present ordinance regulations do not preclude this possibility, this is one situation where a variance is necessary. While technically the 4 posts constitute 4 ground signs, their proximity and wording present the image of just one ground sign. In addition, it appears that if an imaginary rectangle were drawn around the wording, the total sign area would fall within the district sign area regulations (64 sq, ft.). It could, therefore, be said that the ordinance is causing a practical difficulty and an unnecessary hardship as this sign could not be erected. The proximity, wording and imaginary sign area would also appear to be consistent with the stated purposes of the