Variances from Chapter 297, Signs,
of the Former City of Toronto Municipal Code -
(Downtown, East Toronto, North Toronto, Trinity-Niagara)
The Toronto Community Council recommends the adoption of the following
reports from the Acting Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development
Services:
(December 3, 1999)
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 m2 (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
Insert Table/Map No. 1
399 church
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399 church
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399 church
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399 church
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399 church
(November 25, 1999)
Purpose:
To review and make recommendations for an application for a minor variance to permit an
illuminated fascia sign, for identification purposes, on the south elevation of the building at
220 Bay 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. 999083 for a minor variance from Chapter 297,
Signs, of the former City of Toronto Municipal Code to permit, for identification
purposes, an illuminated fascia sign on the south elevation of the building at 220 Bay
Street.
(2) The applicant be advised, upon approval of Application No. 999083, of the requirement
to obtain the necessary permits from the Commissioner of Urban Planning and
Development Services.
Comments:
The property is located on the northwest corner of Bay Street and Wellington Street West in
a (CR) mixed-use zone district. The property contains a multi-storey office building with retail
uses at grade level. The applicant is requesting permission to erect an illuminated fascia sign,
for identification purposes, at the first floor level on the south elevation of the building. The
proposed sign is 4.97 metres long and 1.22 metres high with an area of 6.06 m2 (see Figure 1).
The sign does not comply with Chapter 297 of the Municipal Code in that the proposed fascia
sign will not be mounted wholly against the wall of the building.
The variance occurs because the proposed fascia sign is mounted between two columns of the
building facade. The sign most closely resembles a fascia sign, excepting that it will not be
placed against the wall of the building. I consider this variance to be technical in nature and
therefore acceptable. I am recommending approval of this application as I find the variance
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
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(November 25, 1999)
Purpose:
To review and make recommendations for an application for minor variances to permit one
illuminated fascia sign and one illuminated projecting sign, for identification purposes, on the
front elevation of the building at 1606 Queen Street East.
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. 999097 for minor variances from Chapter 297,
Signs, of the former City of Toronto Municipal Code to permit one illuminated fascia
sign and one illuminated projecting sign, for identification purposes, on the front
elevation of the building at 1606 Queen Street East, on condition that the projecting
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 timing device.
(2) The applicant be advised, upon approval of Application No. 999097, of the requirement
to obtain the necessary permits from the Commissioner of Urban Planning and
Development Services.
Comments:
The property is located west of Coxwell Avenue, on the north side of Queen Street East in a
(MCR) mixed-use zone district. The property contains a two storey building with a restaurant
at the grade level. The applicant is requesting permission to erect one illuminated fascia sign
and one illuminated projecting sign, for identification purposes, on the front elevation of the
building. The proposed fascia sign is 6.55 metres long and 1.22 metres high with an area of
7.99 mē and the proposed projecting sign is 0.91 metre long and 1.22 metres high with an area
of 1.11 mē (see Figure 1 & 2). The proposed fascia sign complies with Municipal Code
requirements.
The proposed projecting sign does not comply with Chapter 297 of the Municipal Code in the
following ways:
1. the area of proposed projecting sign (1.11 mē ) exceeds by 0.61 mē the maximum 0.50
mē sign area permitted;
2. the proposed projecting sign will be erected closer than the required 10 metres from a
window of residential use; and
3. the sign will project 1.22 metres over the public walkway instead of the permitted 1.00
metre.
The size of signs above grade is regulated in order to reduce the visual impact of signs on the
streetscape and on the buildings to which they are attached. The maximum area of a
projecting sign is based on the amount of frontage the commercial unit has on the street. The
sign exceeds the permitted size because the frontage of the unit is comparatively narrow. The
size of the proposed projecting sign is, in my opinion, acceptable.
With regards to the second variance, the owner has agreed that, as a condition of approval,
the proposed projecting sign will be illuminated between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.,
to be achieved by means of an automatic timing device.
The third variance results from the extent of the sign's projection from the building face. The
proposed sign would project 1.22 metres over the public walkway which exceeds by 0.22 metre
the maximum 1.0 metre projection permitted by the Municipal Code. The proposed sign will
be located on the second storey of the building. The extent of projection will not endanger or
inconvenience pedestrians.
I am therefore recommending approval of this application on the basis that the variances
requested for this projecting sign are minor in nature and in 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
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(December 20, 1999)
Purpose:
To review and make recommendations for an application for minor variances to permit an
illuminated ground sign, for identification purposes, on the Fairlawn Avenue frontage at 28
Fairlawn Avenue.
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. 999091 for minor variances from Chapter 297,
Signs, of the former City of Toronto Municipal Code to permit an illuminated ground
sign, for identification purposes, on the Fairlawn Avenue frontage at 28 Fairlawn
Avenue, on condition that the sign be illuminated only between the hours of 7:00 a.m.
and 10:30 p.m. and that this be achieved by means of an automated timing device.
(2) The applicant be advised, upon approval of Application No. 999091, of the requirement
to obtain the necessary permits from the Commissioner of Urban Development
Services.
Comments:
The property is located west of Yonge Street on the north side of Fairlawn Avenue in a
residential zone district. The property contains a United Church building. The applicant is
requesting permission to erect an illuminated ground sign on the Fairlawn frontage of the
property. The sign is 2.44 metres long and 2.34 metres high with an area of 5.71 mē
(see Figure 1 & 2).
The sign does not comply with Chapter 297 of the Municipal Code in the following ways:
1. the area of the proposed ground sign (4.36 mē ) exceeds by 1.86 mē the maximum 2.5
mē
sign area permitted by the Municipal Code; and
2. the height of the sign (3.05 metres) exceeds by 1.05 metres the maximum 2.0 metres sign
height permitted by the Municipal Code.
The proposed ground sign is higher and larger than permitted by the Municipal Code. The
permitted size of signs in residential areas is very limited to minimize intrusion.
In this case, the proposed ground sign has been sized and positioned to complement the 61
metres long frontage of the church property. The backlit form of lighting is the least intrusive
while providing for visibility. Although the nearest house is more than 20 metres away, the
applicant has agreed to turn the sign off between 10:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. by means of an
automated timing device, to minimize any concerns.
I am recommending approval of this application, as I consider the requested variance to be
minor and within 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
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(December 3, 1999)
Purpose:
To review and make recommendations for an application for a minor variance to permit four
non- illuminated projecting banner signs, for identification purposes, on the front elevation
of the building at 2434 Yonge 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. 999092 for a minor variance from Chapter 297,
Signs, of the former City of Toronto Municipal Code to permit four non-illuminated
projecting banner signs, for identification purposes, on the front elevation of the
building at 2434 Yonge Street.
(2) The applicant be advised, upon approval of Application No. 999092, of the requirement
to obtain the necessary permits from the Commissioner of Urban Planning and
Development Services.
Comments:
The property is located north of Eglinton Avenue West on the west side of Yonge Street in a
(MCR) mixed-use zone district. The property contains a two-storey building, which is
occupied by a retail hardware store (Restoration Hardware). The applicant is requesting
permission to erect four non-illuminated projecting banner signs, for identification purposes,
on the front elevation of the building. Each sign is 0.61 metre long and 3.35 metres high with
an area of 2.04 mē (see Figure 1 & 2).
The signs do not comply with Chapter 297 of the Municipal Code in that the aggregate area
of the signs (8.16 mē) exceeds by 6.64 mē the maximum 1.52 mē (0.1 mē for each metre of the
building frontage of the commercial unit) sign area permitted.
The variance relates to the aggregate area of projecting banner signs on the Yonge Street
elevation. The maximum area for a projecting sign is based on the amount of frontage the
commercial unit has on the street.
These non-illuminated banner signs have been designed and positioned to complement the
proportions of the building facade. I am therefore recommending approval of this
application, as I find the requested variance to be minor in impact and within 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
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(December 20, 1999)
Purpose:
To review and make recommendations for an application for minor variances to permit eight
illuminated awning signs, for identification purposes, with four signs on the east elevation and
four signs on the south elevation of the building at 700 King Street West.
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. 999072 for minor variances from Chapter 297,
Signs, of the former City of Toronto Municipal Code to permit eight illuminated
awning signs, for identification purposes, with four signs on the east elevation and four
signs on the south elevation of the building at 700 King Street West.
(2) The applicant be advised, upon approval of Application No. 999072, of the requirement
to obtain the necessary permits from the Commissioner of Urban Development
Services.
Comments:
The property is located on the northwest corner of King Street West and Bathurst Street in
a residential zone district. The property contains a 14-storey mixed-use condominium
apartment building with retail uses at grade level. The applicant is requesting permission to
erect eight backlit illuminated awning signs at the first floor level, with four signs on the east
elevation and four signs on the south elevation of the building. The signs have dimensions as
follows:
South Elevation:
Sign No. 1, 2 & 3: 7.26 metres long and 0.98 metre high with an area of 7.11 mē.
Sign No. 4: 4.94 metres long and 0.98 metre high with an area of 4.84 mē.
(see Figure 1 & 2).
East Elevation:
Sign No. 5: 4.94 metres long and 0.98 metre high with an area of 4.84 mē.
Sign No. 6: 7.26 metres long and 0.98 metre high with an area of 7.11 mē.
Sign No. 7 & 8: 7.31 metres long and 0.98 metre high with an area of 7.16 mē.
(see Figure 1 & 2).
The proposed illuminated awning signs do not comply with Chapter 297 of the Municipal
Code in that the proposed signs are not permitted in a residential zone district.
Although the property is located in a residential zone district, the mixed-use condominium
apartment building contains retail uses at grade level which do require signage for street level
exposure. The King and Bathurst Street area is retail in character and the proposed signs are
of similar size as other signs for retail uses in this vicinity. Together these signs provide an
attractive and consistent signage program.
I am therefore recommending approval of this application, as I consider the requested
variances to be minor and within 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
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