Rahm Emanuel pushes Trump-inspired ordinance in Chicago

CHICAGO--Mayor Rahm Emanuel might not be able to do anything about the massive sign Donald Trump built earlier this summer on his gleaming skyscraper on the Chicago River.

But the mayor announced on Wednesday he is taking action to make sure that no other builder in the future tries to match "The Donald" when it comes to signage in one of the most architecturally-significant areas of the Windy City.

"As we move to transform the Chicago River into Chicago's next great waterfront, we want to ensure that the riverfront is protected from signage that negatively impacts the visual environment" Emanuel said in a statement, in which he made no direct reference to the Trump controversy that spurred the rule change. "This ordinance will allow visitors and residents of Chicago to continue enjoying our world-renowned architecture along the river."

Emanuel and the real estate mogul/reality show host got into a war of words in June after Trump affixed a nearly 2,900-square-foot "TRUMP" sign on his 96-story Trump Hotel & International Tower.

At the time, Emanuel huffed in a statement from his office that the sign was "architecturally tasteless" and vowed to take action to make sure it wasn't repeated. Trump fired back that the sign was loved by people, and that the mayor—whose administration had ultimately approved it—should have more important things to worry about.

Under the new rules proposed by Emanuel, no sign in the Chicago River corridor could be larger than 550 square feet and signs on shorter buildings—those between 150 and 199 feet--would be limited to 250 square feet. The ordinance also prohibits rooftop signs, some neon signs, flashing signs and banners.

The proposal, if approved by Chicago's city council, would not affect Trump's sign.

The controversy over Trump's sign erupted after Chicago Tribune architecture critic, Blair Kamin, wrote that the giant stainless steel letters on Trump's skyscraper "loom over a venerable cluster of 1920s skyscrapers" and could spoil the view for the ongoing expansion of Chicago's Riverwalk, a huge Emanuel project.

The often combative Trump called Kamin, a Pulitzer winner, "a lightweight." He also reminded Chicagoans that the site of his tower used to be the home of the unsightly headquarters of the Chicago Sun-Times. The Sun-Times had the "biggest, ugliest sign in Chicago," Trump wrote on Twitter at the time.

"Mine is magnificent and popular," Trump added.