Item - 2020.PH18.1

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council approve the application to amend the Sign By-law to add an area-specific amendment to Schedule 'B' of Chapter 694, Signage Master Plans and Area-Specific Amendments, to replace the existing Sign By-law regulations concerning third party signs applicable to the premises municipally known as 322 Yonge Street with regulations to allow for, and regulate, a single third party electronic roof sign, as described in Attachment 1 to the report (November 2, 2020) from the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building.

The Sign By-law is a harmonized, City-wide set of regulations governing signs which was adopted in 2010. The Sign By-law contains a process for sign applicants to apply to City Council to amend the Sign By-law in order to implement significant changes to the sign regulations for a site-specific property or area. The Chief Building Official (CBO) brings applications to amend the Sign By-law together on an annual basis for City Council consideration, so that it can appropriately assess the overall and cumulative impact of these applications on the city's built environment, and the Sign By-law itself.

This report is in response to an application for an amendment to the Sign By-law to replace the existing regulations concerning third party signs for 322 Yonge Street, with regulations which would allow the property to replace an existing third party electronic roof top sign with a new third party electronic roof sign having one curved sign face, directed east and south along Yonge Street and Edward Street (the Proposed Sign). Since 2011, there has been a third party electronic roof sign on the property which is slightly smaller than the Proposed Sign and is also facing south and east. The existing sign was approved by Toronto and East York Community Council, in 2009, under the previous Sign By-law. The current Sign By-law does not permit either the existing or proposed third party electronic roof sign.

322 Yonge Street is located in the Downtown Yonge Street Special Sign District. (DYS-SSD) and is directly adjacent to the Dundas Square Special Sign District (DS-SSD), which allows for, and contains, many large scale electronic signs.

Toronto Building Sign By-law Unit staff, in consultation with City Planning and Transportation Services, reviewed the application, and support the proposal as it is consistent with the objectives of the Sign By-law for this area of the city, and other signs that have been permitted on surrounding properties, as well as the property's location bordering the DS-SSD. As a result, the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building recommends that City Council approve this Sign By-law amendment application.