Item - 2019.PH6.12

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council refuse the application to amend the Sign Bylaw to add an area-specific amendment to Schedule 'B' of Chapter 694, Signage Master Plans and Area-Specific Amendments, to replace the existing Sign Bylaw regulations concerning third party signs applicable to the premises municipally known as 2904 Sheppard Avenue East with regulations to allow for, and regulate, a single third party electronic ground sign, as described in Attachment 1 to the report (May 10, 2019) from the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building.

The City received an application to amend the Sign Bylaw to enable 2904 Sheppard Avenue East to contain a third party electronic roof sign with two faces, directed to the south and north-west.

The Sign Bylaw is a harmonized, City-wide set of regulations governing signs which was adopted in 2010. Under the Sign Bylaw, City Council considers applications from the public where significant changes are requested. The Chief Building Official (CBO) brings forward all of the applications to amend the Sign Bylaw on an annual basis, so that City Council can consider the overall and cumulative impact of these applications on the City's built environment, and the Sign Bylaw itself.

In April 2003, the applicant obtained a variance to a previous sign Bylaw to permit a third party roof sign with static copy. In 2009, the sign was modified to display electronic static copy without the necessary approvals in place. The City initiated enforcement action and the applicant is seeking an amendment to the Sign Bylaw that would allow for and regulate the proposed electronic roof sign.

Third party roof signs are prohibited under the Sign Bylaw. As a result, the proposed sign requires an amendment in order to be permitted.

Toronto Building, in consultation with Transportation Services, City Planning and Economic Development and Culture, conducted a review of the application, and does not believe that the applicant's rationale is consistent with the objectives of the Sign Bylaw.

Toronto Building is recommending refusal of this amendment based on a number of factors. If permitted, the proposed sign is likely to have a negative impact on a 15-storey apartment building approximately 110 metres to the north. In addition, from a planning perspective, the sign is not compatible with the building that it is located on, or this commercial-residential area due to its size and visibility. Furthermore, the proposed sign does not comply with the required setback of 30 metres from the intersection of Sheppard Avenue East and Victoria Park Avenue.