10. SIGNS BY-LAW Minor variance - 1021 St. Laurent Boulevard DÉROGATION MINEURE AU
RÈGLEMENT MUNICIPAL SUR LES ENSEIGNES - 1021, BOULEVARD ST-LAURENT |
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS AS AMENDED
That the Planning and
Development Committee recommend Council:
Refuse a Minor Variance to
Signs By-law 36-2000, of the former City of Ottawa, to install a second ground
sign structure, with an area of 20 square metres, that combined with the
existing ground sign will exceed the total area provisions from 15 square metres
to 35 square metres and exceed the height limit with a height of 9.15 metres
instead of 8 metres, as detailed in
this report; and
2. Approve a minor variance to Signs By-law 36-2000, to permit
an increase in the maximum permitted sign area for one project identification
pylon sign located adjacent to St. Laurent Blvd. from 15 sq. m. to 20 sq. m.
and an increase in the permitted height from 8 metres to 9.15 metres with the
option to either modifying the existing pylon sign or replacing the existing sign
with a new sign.
RECOMMANDATIONS Modifiées DU COMITÉ
Que le Conseil :
1. refuse une dérogation mineure au Règlement de zonage no 362000 de l'ancienne Ville d'Ottawa en vue de l'installation d'une seconde structure pour une enseigne au sol, d'une surface de 20 mètres carrés, qui, combinée à l'enseigne au sol existante, dépassera la limite de surface totale (35 mètres carrés au lieu de 15 mètres carrés) et la limite de hauteur (9,15 mètres au lieu de 8 mètres), comme il est précisé dans le présent rapport;
2. Approuve une dérogation mineure au Règlement no 36-2000 sur les enseignes afin de porter de 15 m2 à 20 m2 la superficie maximale autorisée d'une enseigne sur poteau adjacente au boulevard Saint-Laurent, qui identifie un projet d'aménagement, et de 8 m à 9,15 m la hauteur autorisée de l'enseigne, de sorte que celle-ci puisse être modifiée ou remplacée.
Documentation
1. Development Services Department General
Manager’s report dated 8 October 2003 (ACS2003-DEV-BLD-0041).
2. Extract of Draft Minutes, 23 October 2003.
Report to/Rapport
au :
Planning
and Development Committee
Comité de l'urbanisme et de l'aménagement
and Council / et au Conseil
8 October 2003 / le 8 octobre
2003
Submitted by/Soumis par : Ned Lathrop, General
Manager/Directeur général,
Development Services/Services d'aménagement
Contact Person/Personne ressource : Sandra Garnett,
Manager / Gestionnaire
Legal
and Services Integration / Insertion juridique et des services
(613) 580-2424
x41544, sandra.garnett@ottawa.ca
|
SUBJECT: |
|
|
|
|
|
OBJET : |
DÉROGATION MINEURE AU RÈGLEMENT MUNICIPAL SUR LES
ENSEIGNES - 1021, BOULEVARD ST-LAURENT |
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
1.
That the Planning
and Development Committee recommend Council:
2.
3.
refuse a Minor
Variance to Signs By-law 36-2000, of the former City of Ottawa, to install a second
ground sign structure, with an area of 20 square metres, that combined with the
existing ground sign will exceed the total area provisions from 15 square
metres to 35 square metres and exceed the height limit with a height of 9.15
metres instead of 8 metres, as detailed in
this report; and
4.
5.
approve a Minor
Variance to Signs By-law 36-2000, of the former City of Ottawa, to install a
new ground sign structure, with an area of 20 square metres instead of 15
square metres, with a height of 9.15 metres instead of 8 metres, as detailed in
this report, provided that the existing pylon ground sign on site be removed.
RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité de
l'urbanisme et de l'aménagement recommande au Conseil :
1. de
refuser une dérogation mineure au Règlement de zonage no 362000 de
l'ancienne Ville d'Ottawa en vue de l'installation d'une seconde structure pour
une enseigne au sol, d'une surface de 20 mètres carrés, qui, combinée à
l'enseigne au sol existante, dépassera la limite de surface totale (35 mètres
carrés au lieu de 15 mètres carrés) et la limite de hauteur (9,15 mètres au
lieu de 8 mètres), comme il est précisé dans le présent rapport;
2. d'approuver une dérogation mineure au
Règlement de zonage no 362000 de l'ancienne Ville d'Ottawa en vue de
l'installation d'une nouvelle structure pour une enseigne au sol, d'une surface
de 20 mètres carrés au lieu de 15 mètres carrés et d'une hauteur de 9,15 mètres
au lieu de 8 mètres, comme il est précisé dans le présent rapport, pourvu que
l'enseigne sur pylône existante soit enlevée.
BACKGROUND
The owner (or agent) of the
property listed above has applied to the City of Ottawa for a Minor Variance to
Section 178 of Signs By-law 36-2000 of the former municipality of Ottawa, to
permit a second pylon ground sign on site. The proposed sign be will orientated
near the southern end off the St-Laurent street frontage, to be installed with
a height of 9.15 metres (30 feet),
whereas the by-law only allows a height of 8 metres (26.25 feet). In addition, relief is requested from the
area requirements (based on street frontage in the former City of Ottawa lands)
to allow an additional sign face area of 20 square metres (215 sq ft) whereas
the by-law is currently at it's maximum for ground signage in the former City
of Ottawa.
This site has frontage on
St. Laurent under the former City of Ottawa and frontage on Donald Street and
Cyrville Road in the former City of Gloucester. The lands have received Site Plan Control approval from the City
for an extension to the mall as well as a recent revision to the plan to allow
additional development fronting on St. Laurent Boulevard. Based on frontage in the former City of
Ottawa lands, the site may have a total signage area of 15 square metres (160
sq ft), which currently is taken up by the existing Loeb/Zellers sign. Approval of a second sign would generate a
total ground signage area of 35 square metres whereas the maximum sign face
area is 15 square metres.
Currently, between the two
by-laws, the site could have a total signage area of 29 square metres with 15
square metres in former Ottawa and 14 square metres in former Gloucester.
Abutting uses are commercial
on St. Laurent and Cyrville and residential hi-rise apartments off Donald. The subject site has received approval
through this Committee for the development of an expansion to the existing
plaza. The development will eventually
extend into lands, which were formerly a retail lumber use. The existing sign is located near the main
entranceway to the plaza and the proposed sign would be installed further south
near Cyrville Road.
DISCUSSION
Recommendation 1
The Department has reviewed
the request and is of the opinion that the requested sign would not be
acceptable as the scale in area and height for this location would not be in
keeping with the intent of the by-law and would significantly impact the
community with excessive signage for this streetscape. Allowing the potential for three main pylon
signs would potentially add to the visual clutter on an already commercial
environment. In addition, there could
be other options for signage at this plaza that would be more consistent with
the scale of other signs on St. Laurent and not require a substantial increase
to the limits of what the by-law allows.
As the former City of
Gloucester By-law permits 14 square metres, approval of this variance would
mean that the total ground signage area for this plaza would have potential to
be up to 49 square metres (525 square feet).
This is significantly greater than any other signage on current plazas
in this area of the City including the St. Laurent Shopping Centre and The
Gloucester Centre. There would be an
impact to the area with this proposal as residents who live in Overbrook on the
west side of St. Laurent, as well as residents off Donald, could view the
potential abundance of signage from their homes given the fact that their units
are above the ground floor of their buildings.
There are other choices for the development regarding signage, with the
option of refacing or enlarging the existing sign near the main entrance and
providing signage in Gloucester.
Therefore, there does not appear to be any extenuating circumstances,
which warrant approval of two signs on St. Laurent Boulevard at this scale,
thus, the Department recommends refusal of the requested variance.
Recommendation 2
The Department has reviewed
this matter with the local ward councillors, the applicant and interested
stakeholders and recommends support of a variance allowing additional ground
signage area facing St. Laurent Boulevard in the former City of Ottawa that
would be more consistent in total area with the scale of other signage on this
streetscape. The purpose of new signage
is basically to identify additional tenants that have been established through
recent City approvals for the new retail units fronting St. Laurent
Boulevard. In addition, a larger sign
could also identify future tenants once the rest of the site is completed. It is also felt that the new tenants along
St. Laurent Boulevard do not require a large sign near the development since
the uses are located in street-fronting buildings that are allowed to have up
to 30% of their wall coverage utilized for wall signage making their businesses
easily identified.
Allowing an additional area
of 5 square metres would be adequate to address the advertising needs of these
new tenants and future tenants. This
represents a 33% increase to the by-law, but is not seen as significant given
the site conditions and the fact that the signage would identify uses in the
former City of Gloucester. The
recommended variance would permit up to 20 square metres of signage area
fronting St. Laurent Boulevard instead of the maximum area allowed based on the
limited street off St. Laurent of 15 square metres. This variance is conditional upon removal of the existing
Loeb/Zellers sign and replacing it with the 20 square metre sign shown on
Document 3.
A more balanced approach to
the signage issues is to allow enhanced signage on the St. Laurent portion of
the site as the developer has expressed the potential of not providing any
ground signage off the Donald Street side of the plaza. A look at similar development has shown that
both the Gloucester Centre and the St. Laurent Shopping Plaza have only 2 ground
signs per site which face different streets.
Each site has similar signage area for their developments as to what is
proposed in Recommendation 2.
The former City of Ottawa
portion is capped at 15 square metres of sign area based on the frontage
calculations. Both by-laws combine for
a potential area of signage calculated at 29 square metres. The recommended variance presents the entire
site with a signage area of 34 square metres (365 sq ft) for two signs on the
development, which includes a possible sign off Cyrville Road once further development
is completed on the southeast section of the parcel. This would only represent a 17% increase to what is permitted
today given current by-laws and site
conditions. The height variance is
deemed minor in nature given the alternative of having two signs on the
streetscape rather than one predominate pylon sign. The Department concludes that this recommended ground sign
advertising signage would be more than adequate for this plaza given the
various factors involved on site.
In light of the above, the
Department recommends refusal of the requested variance but approval of the
recommended variance stated in Recommendation 2.
CONSULTATION
In response to the standard
early notification to community and business groups, the circulation did
generate any concerns from the community regarding height and scale of the
proposed signage for the development.
FINANCIAL
IMPLICATIONS
N/A
SUPPORTING
DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 Location Map
Document 2 Site Plan
Document 3 Elevation
Document 4 Photo of Existing St. Laurent Signage
DISPOSITION
Corporate Services
Department, Secretariat Services Branch to notify the applicant, Riokim
Holdings Inc., Attention: Bill Holzman as Agent of Trinity Development, 1076
Castle Hill Crescent, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 1V7; and Councillors Michel Bellemare
and Jacques Legendre of City Council's decision.
LOCATION MAP Document
1
SITE PLAN Document
2
ELEVATION Document
3
PHOTO OF EXISTING
ST. LAURENT SIGNAGE Document
4
