10 June 2011 / le 10 juin 2011
Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City
Manager, Directrice
municipale
adjointe, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability,
Services
d’infrastructure et Viabilité des collectivités
Contact
Person/Personne ressource : Arlene Grégoire, Director and Chief Building
Official, Building Code Services/Directrice et chef du bâtiment
Services
du code du bâtiment
Planning
and Growth Management/Urbanisme et Gestion de la croissance
(613) 580-2424
x 41425, Arlene.Gregoire@ottawa.ca
SUBJECT:
|
PERMANENT
SIGNS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY BY-LAW 2005-439 - Proposed digital wall sign - 2685
IRIS STREET |
|
|
|
OBJET :
|
RÈGLEMENT
2005-439 RÉGISSANT LES ENSEIGNES PERMANENTES SUR DES PROPRIÉTÉS PRIVÉES -
ENSEIGNE MURALE NUMÉRIQUE PROJETÉE - 2685, RUE IRIS |
That Planning Committee:
1. Approve
a waiver of Sections 95, 96 and 106 of the Permanent Signs on Private Property
By-law 2005-439 (as amended) to allow a sign permit to be issued for a digital
message centre as a wall sign on the IKEA building located at 2685 Iris Street,
as shown on Documents 2 and 3, subject to the conditions outlined in this
report; and
2. Delegate
authority to the Director of Building Code Services to include this digital
sign in the pilot project for digital billboard signs.
Que le Comité de
l'urbanisme :
1. Approuve une dispense de
l'application des articles 95, 96 et 106 du Règlement 2005-439 régissant les
enseignes permanentes sur des propriétés privées (modifié), afin qu'un permis
d'enseigne puisse être délivré relativement à un centre de messages numériques
devant prendre la forme d'une enseigne murale sur l'immeuble du magasin IKEA,
au 2685, rue Iris, comme l'illustrent les documents 2 et 3, sous réserve des
conditions établies dans le présent rapport; et
2. Délègue à la directrice
des Services du code du bâtiment le pouvoir d'inclure cette enseigne numérique
dans le projet pilote sur les panneaux réclames numériques.
The Pinecrest Shopping Centre, situated off Pinecrest Road and abutting Iris Street and Baxter Road, is currently undergoing a significant transformation with the construction of a new IKEA store. It is to be re-located to the eastern portion of the site, as shown on Document 1, and when completed, will be the largest IKEA in Canada.
As part of the plan for exterior identification and advertising signage for the new building; there are a number of signs (“IKEA” and “Home Furnishings”) that are proposed that meet the By-law regulations. For other signs, variances have been requested.
The following variances have been approved under delegated authority:
• Six information signs (“entrance”) to be installed as wall signs;
• Identification (“IKEA”) signage on five flags;
• Total wall signage on the north façade of the building (“IKEA” and a poster board) having an area of 456 square metres instead of the permitted 292 square metres; and
· The poster board to be a different height than the IKEA sign.
A variance has also been requested to allow the installation of a large illuminated digital message centre sign located on the second storey west façade of the building. It does not meet the regulations of the By-law without a waiver because message centres can only be located as a part of a ground sign. The proposed sign will have an area of 80 square metres.
As the approval of the message centre as a wall sign is a significant departure from the By-law regulations, it is considered beyond the scope of the Delegated Authority approval authority as specified in Section 40 of the By-law, and thus has been brought forward to Planning Committee for approval as a waiver to the By-law.
Recommendation 1
A message centre is defined in the By-law as an on-premises advertising or information sign, that is designed to have the message that it displays changed from time to time either manually or automatically. The changeable area can use electronic digital technology provided the message is not animated, has no quick flashing text and it does not cause a distraction for vehicular traffic. IKEA intends to use the proposed sign, which will change every three minutes, to provide store identification, showcase products and to provide information to customers arriving at the site. It will be installed on the west face of the building.
There are a number of guidelines with respect to signage in the City’s Urban Design Guidelines for Large-Format Retail that apply to the proposed variance.
Guideline 39 allows for retailer brand identification where there are multiple buildings and uses on site, but signage should avoid individual corporate image, colour, and back-lit signs from dominating the site. While the size of the proposed message centre is substantial; because it is located on a very large wall face, as the perspective in Document 3 illustrates, it is in proportion and does not appear out of scale with the building. The proposed 80-square metre wall sign represents an area of only five percent of the total top floor wall face area. The sign has the effect of breaking up the predominant corporate blue colour of the building which is commonly combined with yellow signage.
Guideline 41 indicates that signs should be located and designed to complement the character and scale of the area. The proposed sign will be facing the parking area and other commercial uses at the shopping centre; in a zone that is part of the District 4 regulations of the Permanent Signs on Private Property. This district allows for the broadest range and size of signage. In addition, there will be no signage for this retail store that will face residential uses north of the property and therefore there it will not be visible from Iris Street. This will satisfy Guideline 40 which requires that sign illumination avoid glare towards adjacent land uses.
Because of the scale of the sign, it is necessary to impose conditions that will ensure public safety including the requirement for an engineer's stamp on the installation plans. As well, there should be a limit to lighting intensity during the night time hours. The Director will establish the specific intensity and the set hours which would vary during the year as part of the conditions for the permit.
The sign will be visible from Highway 417, which is designated by the Official Plan as a Scenic-Entry Route into the city. However the sign will be somewhat shielded because it will be setback from the entrance projection. Operation of the message centre will be in accordance with provincial Corridor regulations of the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to ensure traffic safety. This requires the sign to remain static for three minutes, phase changes over one second and have no flashing or animated messages.
Given the above, approval of the proposed sign is recommended with the following conditions:
Recommendation 2
On August 24, 2010, City Council waived the provision of the Permanent Signs on Private Property By-law prohibiting digital messages on billboard signs to permit digital billboard signs as a pilot project. As part of this project, digital billboard signs have been installed, and are currently operating on three City-owned properties.
This electronic technology allows for a more frequent change of the advertising material, reduction in maintenance costs for the sign owner and the ability to program display material from a remote location.
The objectives of the project are to determine the potential impact and public reaction to the use of digital technology on billboards and to determine the appropriate regulatory standards should Council approve amending the By-law to permit digital signs. Staff intend to report back on this matter in 2012, and, if approved, may result in the insertion of performance standards into the By-law with respect to the timing for message changes and the levels of illumination.
The proposed sign at IKEA will also utilize digital technology on a large wall sign, but in a manner that is somewhat different than the digital billboards signs that comprise the pilot project as it will be limited to on-premises advertising rather than third-party advertising, and the message will change every three minutes rather than the six second interval on the digital billboards.
Although it is anticipated the sign will not begin operation until late fall of this year, it would be helpful to also include this sign in the last few months of the pilot project because of its operational differences of the IKEA sign which reflect MTO standards.
Public consultation on this application involved a circulation to adjoining residents and commercial businesses. This resulted in six responses in opposition to the overall variances and two responses with no objections to the application. Although there was no specific comment received regarding the proposed message centre to be located on the west facing wall, there were general concerns about sign proliferation, scale, possible distraction for vehicles on the highway and the impact of illumination.
Councillor Chiarelli supports this minor variance application.
There are no legal implications associated with the recommendations in this report.
N/A
There are no direct financial implications associated with this report.
N/A
The report is consistent with Objective 1 of the City Strategic Plan as the variance approval will assist to manage growth and create sustainable communities by ensuring that new growth is integrated seamlessly with established communities.
Document 1 - Site Plan
Document 2 - Sign Elevations
Document 3 - Perspectives - West Wall Façade
The City Clerk and Solicitor’s Branch shall notify the applicant, the owner and the Ward Councillor of Committee’s decision.
Upon approval, the Building Code Services Branch will issue a sign permit based on the conditions approved by Council, and such sign permit to be administered and enforced under the Permanent Signs on Private Property By-law No. 2005-439 (as amended).
SITE PLAN DOCUMENT
1
SIGN ELEVATIONS DOCUMENT
2
PERSPECTIVES – WEST WALL FAÇADE DOCUMENT 3
Message centre wall sign will be the sign with the image, right of entrance, that displays a couch.