August 31, 1998

To:Toronto Community Council

From:Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services

Subject:825 Bay Street, Application No. 998055: Request for approval of variances from Chapter 297, Signs, of the former City of Toronto Municipal Code, upon application by Dominic Rotundo/Neon Products Ltd., 453 Chancellor Drive, Woodbridge, Ont., L4L 5E1 on behalf of Management Board Secretariat, 777 Bay Street, 12^th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2E5. (Downtown)

Purpose:

To review and make recommendations respecting an application for variances to permit a second illuminated ground sign on the Bay Street frontage for identification purposes at 825 Bay Street.

Financial Implications:

Not applicable.

Recommendations:

1. That City Council approve Application No. 998055 respecting minor variances from Chapter 297, Signs, of the former City of Toronto Municipal Code to permit one illuminated ground sign on condition that :

- the sign be illuminated only between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. and that this be achieved by means of an automatic device; and

- all existing non-conforming signs posted on the light standards are removed prior to the issuance of the necessary permit(s) for the illuminated ground sign.

2. That the applicant be advised, upon approval of Application No. 998055, of the requirement to obtain the necessary permit(s) from the Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services.

Comments:

The property is located north of College Street on the east side of Bay Street, and it consists of the entire block between Grosvenor Street and Grenville Street, in a CR district. The property accommodates Addison on Bay, an auto dealership. The applicant is requesting permission to erect a second illuminated ground sign for identification purposes (see Figure 1). The sign has a length of 2.7 metres and a height of 5.9 metres, with an area of 7.0 m².

The sign does not comply with Chapter 297 of the Municipal Code in the following way:

1. only one ground sign for the purpose of identification is permitted within any frontage of a property.

The number of signs permitted within a single frontage is regulated so as to prevent sign clutter. In this instance, however, the lot frontage is a block long and is able, in my opinion, to accommodate a second ground sign without there being a negative impact on the streetscape. Further, the owner has agreed that as a condition of approval he will remove all existing non-conforming signs posted on the light standards. Given that the closest residential unit from which the sign would be visible would be approximately 30 metres away and at the 3^rd floor level, there should not be any adverse impact on the surrounding neighbourhood. However, to ensure this, I have required that the hours of illumination be restricted to between 7:00 a.m and 11:00 p.m.

I am recommending that this application be approved, with conditions respecting the removal of certain existing signs and the restriction of hours of illumination, as I consider the proposed variance to be acceptable in this circumstance. The owner is in agreement with this recommendation.

Contact Name:Norm Girdhar

Telephone: (416) 392-7209

Fax: (416) 392-7536

E-Mail: ngirdhar@city.toronto.on.ca

Beate Bowron

Director, Community Planning, South District

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