December 3, 1999

To: Toronto Community Council

From: Acting Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services

Subject: 399 Church Street, Application No. 999082: Request for approval of minor variances from Chapter 297, Signs, of the former City of Toronto Municipal Code, upon application by Ryan Gaul / Steel Art Signs, 37 Esna Park Drive, Markham, Ontario, L3R 1C9 on behalf of Esbin Property Management Inc., 130 Bloor Street West, Suite 1100, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1N5

(Downtown)

Purpose:

To review and make recommendations for an application for minor variances to permit two illuminated fascia signs in the form of letters, for identification purposes, to be maintained one on the north elevation and one on the west elevation of the building at 399 Church Street.

Financial Implications:

There are no financial implications resulting from the adoption of the report.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) City Council approve Application No. 999082 for minor variances from Chapter 297, Signs, of the former City of Toronto Municipal Code to permit two illuminated fascia signs in the form of letters, for identification purposes, to be maintained one on the north elevation and one on the west elevation of the building at 399 Church Street, on condition that the fascia sign on the north wall of the building be illuminated only between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. and this be achieved by an automated timing device.

(2) The applicant be advised, upon approval of Application No. 999082, of the requirement to obtain the necessary permits from the Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services.

Comments:

The property is located on the southeast corner of Church Street and Carlton Street in a (CR) mixed-use zone district. The property contains a four-storey office building with retail uses at grade level. The applicant is requesting permission to maintain two existing illuminated fascia signs in the form of letters "ACT " (Aid Committee of Toronto), for identification purposes, at the third floor level on the north and west elevation of the building. Each sign is 2.57 metres long and 1.37 metres high with an area of 3.52 m (see Figure 1).

The signs do not comply with Chapter 297 of the Municipal Code in that the illuminated fascia signs are erected above the second storey of the building.

Illuminated fascia signs are permitted to be located only within the first two storeys of a building. This provision restricts signs to their traditional locations in order to minimize the impact of signage on the buildings to which they are attached, on the streetscape and on upper floor residential units in the immediate vicinity. The "ACT" illuminated signs consist of individual backlit letters and they replaced previously existing and larger sized illuminated fascia signs "INEX" in the same location.

There are no residential units on the upper floors of the buildings located on the southwest, northwest and northeast corners of Church and Carlton Street. The nearest residential unit from which the sign would be visible would be more than 25 metres away - at 72 Carlton Street.

To mitigate concerns about visibility of the illuminated sign on the north face from nits in 72 Carlton Street, the owner has agreed to limit the hours of illumination so that the sign is turned off from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. by an automated timing device. With this condition, I find the sign acceptable.

I am recommending approval of this application as I find the variances requested to be minor and keeping with the general intent and purpose of the sign provisions of the Municipal Code.

Contact: Norm Girdhar

Telephone: (416) 392-7209

Fax: (416) 392-0580

E-Mail: ngirdhar@toronto.ca

Beate Bowron

Director, Community Planning, South District

List of Attachments:

Key Map

Site Plan

Sign Elevation

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