4.         SIGN BY-LAW MINOR VARIANCE - 349 PRESTON STREET

 

DÉROGATION MINEURE AU RÈGLEMENT SUR LES ENSEIGNES - 349, RUE PRESTON

 

 

 

Committee recommendation

 

That Council approve the application to vary Section 143 of Sign By-law 2005-439 to permit an internally illuminated projecting sign, utilizing reversed illumination instead of external illumination, to be situated at 349 Preston Street.

 

 

Recommandation du Comité

 

Que le Conseil municipal approuve la demande de dérogation à l’article 143 du Règlement sur les enseignes 2005-439 afin de permettre une enseigne en saillie à éclairage intérieur (éclairage inversé au lieu d’un éclairage externe) au 349, rue Preston.

 

 

 

Documentation

 

1.      Deputy City Manager's report Planning, Transit and the Environment dated 10 September 2007 (ACS2007-PTE-BLD-0016).

 


Report to/Rapport au :

 

Planning and Environment Committee

Comité de l'urbanisme et de l'environnement

 

and Council / et au Conseil

 

10 September 2007 / le 10 septembre 2007

 

Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/

Directeur municipal adjoint,

Planning, Transit and the Environment/

Urbanisme, Transport en commun et Environnement  

 

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Sandra Garnett, Manager/Gestionnaire, Business Integration Services/Intégration juridique et services, Building Code Services/Direction des services code du bâtiment

(613) 580-2424 x41544, sandra.garnett@ottawa.ca

 

Somerset (14)

Ref N°: ACS2007-PTE-BLD-0016

 

 

SUBJECT:

SIGN BY-LAW MINOR VARIANCE - 349 PRESTON STREET

 

 

OBJET :

DÉROGATION MINEURE AU RÈGLEMENT SUR LES ENSEIGNES - 349, rue preston

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

 

That Planning and Environment Committee recommend Council approve the application to vary Section 143 of Sign By-law 2005-439 to permit an internally illuminated projecting sign, utilizing reversed illumination instead of external illumination, to be situated at 349 Preston Street.

 

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

 

Que le Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’environnement recommande au Conseil d’approuver la demande de dérogation à l’article 143 du Règlement sur les enseignes 2005-439 afin de permettre une enseigne en saillie à éclairage intérieur (éclairage inversé au lieu d’un éclairage externe) au 349, rue Preston.

 

BACKGROUND

 

On behalf of the owner, the tenant Starbucks Coffee Canada has applied for a minor variance to permit the installation of an internally illuminated projecting sign to be located on the front wall of the subject building (Reference Document 1).  The property is located on the east side of Preston Street within an existing mixed-use commercial area (Reference Document 2).

 

The property is zoned CN and therefore is classified as a District 3 sign under the Sign By-law.  In this District, projecting signs are restricted to external illumination.  If approved, the sign variance would allow reversed illumination for the projecting sign. This type of lighting has the sign's illumination projecting through the lettering or images on an opaque screen.

 

DISCUSSION

 

The variance is requested to allow the sign to maintain the standards and designs of the Starbuck Coffee Company.  If approved, the proposed sign would utilize reversed illumination, which most often projects less light intensity than a typical internally illuminated sign box.  The coffee shop use is located in a newly developed four-storey commercial building including office, retail and restaurant uses.  The projecting sign is well setback from the property and would blend into the site's urban commercial environment.

 

In this case, adjacent residential uses are limited and are located across the street from the proposed projecting sign.  The sign would also be installed perpendicular to the street so that the illumination would project towards the surrounding commercial uses.  The sign is small is scale with an area of only 0.3 square metres (three square feet).  As a result, the scale, location and illumination intensity of the proposed sign will have minimal visual impact upon adjacent uses and the existing streetscape of Preston Street.

 

The Department is satisfied the application is in keeping with the intent of the Sign By-law and approval is recommended.

 

CONSULTATION

 

In response to the standard circulation to property owners, occupants, business and community groups, and the Ward Councillor, no comments in opposition to the application were received.

 

Ward Councillor Diane Holmes comments are as follows:

 

"I concur with this Minor Variance for an internally-lit projecting sign on Preston Street - as they add interest and character to 'traditional mainstreets' such as Preston Street".

 

Response to Comments

 

The Department concurs and is recommending approval of this minor variance application.

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

N/A


 

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

 

Document 1      Site Plan

Document 2      Location Plan

Document 3      Elevation Drawing

 

DISPOSITION

 

City Manager's Office, City Clerk's Branch to notify the applicant/agent, Daniel Johnson Architect Inc., Attention: Karina Olivares, on behalf of Starbucks Coffee Company, 90 Richmond Street, Suite 100, Toronto, ON, M5C 1P1, of Council's decision. 

 

Building Code Services will process the sign permit resulting from the Council direction in accordance with Sign By-law 2005-439.


SITE PLAN                                                                                                               DOCUMENT 1


LOCATION PLAN                                                                                                  DOCUMENT 2

 


ELEVATION DRAWING                                                                                       DOCUMENT 3