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The Manager, Sign By-law Unit, Toronto Building, recommends that:
1. The Sign Variance Committee grant the variance requested, subject to the listed conditions, as required to allow for the issuance of a permit respecting the erection and display of the Proposed Sign at the property municipally known as 33 Dundas Street East, as described in Attachment 1 to this report.
This report reviews and makes recommendations from a request by Branded Cities (the "Applicant"), on behalf of the property owner, in respect of a third party sign variance application and erect and display (the "Proposed Sign") a single electronic roof sign, displaying electronic moving copy, in the approximate location of an existing roof sign and electronic roof sign, which shall be removed as a condition of the variances sought.
The subject premises is municipally known as 33 Dundas Street East (the "Premises") and is located within the Dundas Square Special Sign District ("DS-SSD"). The Proposed Sign would have a maximum height of 49.85 metres from grade, containing one rectangular sign face, with a 10.36 metres centre line (horizontal measurement) and a 27.43 metres bisecting line (vertical measurement), resulting in a sign face area of 284.17 square metres. The Proposed Sign is further described in Attachment 1 to this report.
Due to the unique nature of the applicable regulations and the Proposed Sign, there is one variance, subject to multiple conditions, to Chapter 694, which is being sought in order to allow the Chief Building Official ("CBO") to issue the sign permit for the erection and display of the Proposed Sign. The requirement in Chapter 694 which has been requested to be varied, is as follows:
§ 694-26D(2) - The Dundas Square Special Sign District may contain a third party sign which is erected, displayed, or substantially altered after July 30, 2016, which complies with the applicable provisions of Subsection 4 of Schedule C, Additional Special Sign District Regulations, notwithstanding Compliance with Subsection D(1); whereas the Proposed Sign does not comply with Section 4 of Schedule C, Additional Special Sign District Regulations, or Subsection 694-26D(1).
The requested variance would be subject to the following conditions:
1. Any and all existing third party roof signs facing west on the building be removed and all associated permits be revoked;
2. Any and all existing first party electronic roof signs facing west on the building be removed and all associated permits be revoked
3. The Proposed Sign shall contain sufficient physical barriers on the sign face to minimize the visibility of the sign copy from the residential building to the south west of the Proposed Sign to the satisfaction of the Chief Building Official acting reasonably;
4. The Proposed Sign will be located in the area marked 'X' as shown on 'Schedule 1- 33 Dundas Street East' in Attachment 1 to this report;
5. The Proposed Sign shall display electronic moving or electronic static copy only;
6. The Proposed Sign shall contain only one sign face;
7. The sign face of the Proposed Sign shall be rectangular in shape;
8. The sign face area of the Proposed Sign shall not exceed 285.0 square metres;
9. The sign face of Proposed Sign shall not have a centre line that exceeds 27.45 metres;
10. The sign face of Proposed Sign shall not have a bisecting line that exceeds 10.4 metres; and
11. No more than one electronic roof sign shall located on the premises.
On the basis of information provided by the Sign By-law Unit staff, and the Applicant's submission, the CBO has determined that the information provides a sufficient basis to conclude that the nine required criteria established in §694-30A of the Sign By-law have been established with respect to the variance sought, subject to the noted conditions as described further in Appendix 1.
Therefore, the CBO supports the Sign Variance Committee granting the one requested variance subject to the conditions listed above required to allow for the issuance of a permit for the erection and display of the Proposed Sign.
There is no financial impact resulting from the adoption of the recommendations in this report.
(. 20, 2021) Report from the Manager, Sign By-law Unit, Toronto Building - Application for One Variance subject to multiple conditions respecting a Third Party Electronic Roof Sign at 33 Dundas Street East (259 Victoria Street)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/sb/bgrd/backgroundfile-171040.pdf
(. 20, 2021) Attachment 2 (Part 1) to the Report from the Manager, Sign By-law Unit, Toronto Building - Application for One Variance subject to multiple conditions respecting a Third Party Electronic Roof Sign at 33 Dundas Street East (259 Victoria Street)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/sb/bgrd/backgroundfile-171041.pdf
(. 20, 2021) Attachment 2 (Part 2) to the Report from the Manager, Sign By-law Unit, Toronto Building - Application for One Variance subject to multiple conditions respecting a Third Party Electronic Roof Sign at 33 Dundas Street East (259 Victoria Street)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/sb/bgrd/backgroundfile-171042.pdf
(. 20, 2021) Attachment 2 (Part 3 Section 1) to the Report from the Manager, Sign By-law Unit, Toronto Building - Application for One Variance subject to multiple conditions respecting a Third Party Electronic Roof Sign at 33 Dundas Street East (259 Victoria Street)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/sb/bgrd/backgroundfile-171043.pdf
(. 20, 2021) Attachment 2 (Part 3 Section 2) to the Report from the Manager, Sign By-law Unit, Toronto Building - Application for One Variance subject to multiple conditions respecting a Third Party Electronic Roof Sign at 33 Dundas Street East (259 Victoria Street)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/sb/bgrd/backgroundfile-171047.pdf
(. 20, 2021) Attachment 2 (Part 4) to the Report from the Manager, Sign By-law Unit, Toronto Building - Application for One Variance subject to multiple conditions respecting a Third Party Electronic Roof Sign at 33 Dundas Street East (259 Victoria Street)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/sb/bgrd/backgroundfile-171044.pdf
(. 4, 2021) E-mail from Michael Polanyi (SB.New)
(. 4, 2021) Presentation from Paul Seaman, Branded Cities Company Canada (SB.New)
(. 4, 2021) Presentation from Nikoo Shabestari, Sign Building Code Examiner Inspector, Toronto Building (SB.New)
The Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building, recommends that:
1. The Sign Variance Committee grant the requested variances to sections 694-25(C)(2)(e), 694-25(C)(2)(f) and 694-25C(2)(k), each subject to seven conditions, as required to allow for the issuance of a permit for the erection and display of one third party electronic ground sign at the property municipally known as 3848-3998 Chesswood Drive, as described in Attachment 1 to this report.
Pattison Outdoor (the "Applicant") has been authorized by the owner of the property municipally known as 3848-3998 Chesswood Drive, to apply for three variances, each subject to several conditions, required to allow the Chief Building Official ("CBO") to issue a sign permit for one third party electronic ground sign with two sign faces, each displaying electronic static copy (the "Proposed Sign") at 3848-3998 Chesswood Drive.
The Proposed Sign would be located along the southern frontage of 3848-3998 Chesswood Drive, facing Sheppard Avenue West and directed south east and south west. The Applicant seeks the variances in relation to a Proposed Sign which would have a height of 9.14 metres, and two rectangular sign faces, each measuring 6.1 metres horizontally by 3.05 metres vertically in a “v-shaped” configuration with a maximum interior angle of 30 degrees. The Proposed Sign is described further in Attachment 1.
The requested variances to Chapter 694 requirements can be summarized as follows:
1. The requirement of 694-25(C)(2)(e) that – "An Employment "E" Sign District may contain a third party electronic ground sign, provided the sign shall not be erected within 60 metres of any premises located, in whole or in part, in an R, RA, CR, I, or OS Sign District", be varied to allow for the Proposed Sign's proposed location approximately 37 metres from an I Institutional Sign District to the south;
2. The requirement of 694-25(C)(2)(f) that – "An E Sign District may contain a third party electronic ground sign, provided where the sign is located within 250 metres of an R, RA, CR, I, or OS Sign District, the sign cannot face any premises in that district" – be varied to allow for the Proposed Sign to face into an I Institutional Sign District within 250 metres, and;
3. The requirement of 694-25C(2)(k) that – "An E Sign District may contain a third party electronic ground sign, provided where there are two sign faces, the sign faces shall be back-to-back" – be varied to allow for the proposed “v-shaped” configuration, with a maximum interior angle of 30 degrees, of the Proposed Sign's two sign faces.
If granted, each of the three requested variances, would be subject to all of the following conditions:
1. Any and all existing third party signs located at the premises municipally known as 3848-3998 Chesswood Drive shall be removed and all associated permits revoked, prior to the erection or display of the Proposed Sign;
2. Any and all existing first party ground signs located at the south frontage of the premises municipally known as 3848-3998 Chesswood Drive shall be removed and all associated permits revoked, prior to the erection or display of the Proposed Sign;
3. The maximum interior angle of the v-shaped configuration shall not be more than 30 degrees.
4. The sign face bottom shall be no less than 6.0 metres for all sign faces;
5. In addition to the requirements of 694-18.E(5), the illumination of the Proposed Sign shall not exceed 150 nits during the period between sunset and sunrise;
6. The orientation of the two sign faces to be in a generally south-westerly and south-easterly direction; and,
7. The Sign to be located within the specific location within the premises municipally known as 3848-3998 Chesswood Drive illustrated with heavy lines as indicated on Schedules A and B to Attachment 1 to this report.
The Proposed Sign, is similar to a previous application heard by the Sign Variance Committee ("SVC") at its November 27, 2020, meeting (the "Refused Variance Application"). A number of concerns with the Refused Variance Application failing to meet the nine required criteria were raised by the CBO, and other interested parties. At the conclusion of the meeting, the SVC refused to grant the variances sought. The Proposed Sign would be taller and have larger sign faces than the sign proposed in the Refused Variance Application, but would be subject to additional and differing conditions.
Following a review of the Applicant's submissions and additional information provided by the Sign By-law Unit staff, the CBO has determined that there is a sufficient basis to conclude that the nine required criteria in §694-30A of the Sign By-law have been established with respect to the three variances, subject to the noted conditions as described further in Appendix 1 to this report.
There are no current or known future year financial impacts arising from the recommendations contained in this report.