Council could deny a permanent sign bylaw exemption for a billboard at Barrie South GO station because it would be too close to city property.
A motion for final approval of this denial is on the agenda for city council’s meeting tonight, after being approved on consent, with no discussion, at general committee’s Oct. 18 meeting.
Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson said he supports the denial.
“So staff, if it was a minor variance they would work with anybody, but this isn’t a minor variance,” he said. “There is a legal sign location in their application. I think the staff report was thorough enough for me to be comfortable in supporting (the motion to deny).”
The property, located at 833 Yonge St., is zoned agricultural, which, despite being developed as the train station and a parking lot for 615 vehicles, does allow for a billboard to be installed, providing the provisions of the sign bylaw are satisfied.
The city received an initial request for a billboard sign there, but staff determined the location did not meet the required 100-metre setback from land zoned residential and the 15-metre setback from the city property lines.
The application was resubmitted with a proposed location that met or exceeded the minimum setback requirements.
Pattison Outdoor Advertising, on behalf of Metrolinx, which operates GO trains in Ontario, was granted a city building permit May 9 to install a poster panel sign with one digital display at 833 Yonge — at a location that complies with or exceeds all minimum setbacks required in Barrie’s sign bylaw.
The city building permit approved the installation of a billboard that is 7.5 metres high, the maximum height permitted, with a single digital display 3.05 metres high by 6.1 metres wide. The sign’s placement was to be 17.9 metres from the city property line, and 104.8 metres from the adjacent residential zoned property, slightly exceeding the minimum requirements of both setbacks.
But after the building permit was issued, according to staff, Pattison chose to relocate the sign to a spot that once again didn’t meet the required setbacks. Hence the need for an exemption from Barrie’s sign bylaw.
The required minimum setback from the city’s property line is 15 metres, and this sign was to have a maximum setback of four metres from the city property line, staff say.
The sign bylaw also requires a 100-metre setback from land zoned residential.
Nathan Jankowski, manager of permits and legislation with Pattison, is scheduled to make a five-minute deputation to city council at Wednesday night's meeting. In a letter to the city dated May 18, he gave his reasons for the exemption.
“Because of the incredibly large ‘boulevard’ between Yonge Street and the South Barrie GO station parking lot, we believe the sign bylaw objective of locating the sign at a safe distance from the road is still achieved if this minor variance is granted,” he said.
But Wendy Cooke, city clerk and director of legislative and court services, in a July 19 reply, said the rules apply to everybody.
“After careful review, we are unable to grant your request for a minor variance,” she said. “Pattison and Metrolinx are required to adhere to all applicable provisions of (the sign bylaw).”
City staff is of the opinion that the exemption request is not minor, as the requested setback variance exceeds what is provided for in the sign bylaw by 11 metres.
The exemption is also not necessity for the sign to be installed on this property, given a location has already been approved by the city and a building permit issued.
The portion of the 833 Yonge St. property in question is near St. Paul’s Crescent, north of Mapleview Drive East.
