City of Kingston
Report to Council
Report Number 14-265
To:
Mayor and Members of Council
From:
Lanie Hurdle, Commissioner, Community Services
Resource Staff:
Terry Willing, Director, Building and Licensing
Date of Meeting:
September 9, 2014
Subject:
RONA at 2342 Princess Street
Request for Relief from Sign By-Law 2009-140
Executive Summary:
RONA of Kingston is requesting relief from Sign By-Law Number 2009-140 to allow a “read a
graph” to the existing ground sign. By-Law Number 2009-140 Schedule “G-1” (2) permits a
maximum of 13.9 square metres (150 square feet) per side.
The site has a frontage greater than 700 feet which would allow a second ground sign, but they
do not wish to add the second sign as it is costly (Exhibit A to Report Number 14-265).
RONA would instead like to add an Electronic Message Centre that is 2.67 square metres (28.7
square feet) per side to the existing ground sign. The existing sign is 16.7 square metres (180
square feet) and the addition of the Electronic Message Centre would bring the total sign area to
19.39 square metres (208.7 square feet), the variance being 4.7 square metres (50.7 square
feet) per side of the existing ground sign (Exhibit B to Report Number 14-265).
Staff have no objections to this variance to the By-Law as the Electronic Message Centre is only
2.67 square metres (28.7 square feet) per side and is not changing the sign in any other way.
Recommendation:
That Council approve an exemption from By-Law Number 2009-140 to permit the owners of
RONA to add an Electronic Message Centre to their existing ground sign increasing the total
area of the sign to 19.39 square metres (208.7 square feet).
Council Meeting 27 September 9, 2014
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Report to Council
Report Number: 14-265
September 9, 2014
Page 2 of 4
Authorizing Signatures:
ORIGINAL SIGNED BY COMMISSIONER
Lanie Hurdle, Commissioner, Community Services
ORIGINAL SIGNED BY CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
Gerard Hunt, Chief Administrative Officer
Consultation with the following Commissioners:
Cynthia Beach, Corporate & Strategic Initiatives
Not required
Denis Leger, Transportation, Facilities & Emergency Services
Not required
Jim Keech, President and CEO, Utilities Kingston
Not required
Council Meeting 27 September 9, 2014
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Report to Council
Report Number: 14-265
September 9, 2014
Page 3 of 4
Options/Discussion:
Five Star submitted a letter on behalf of RONA (Exhibit C) requesting relief from the current Sign
By-Law to allow for an Electronic Message Centre to be added to the existing ground sign.
The following reasons were provided regarding the inability to comply with the Sign By-Law:
RONA could add a second ground sign as they have sufficient frontage on Princess Street but
due to the cost of constructing an additional sign, they would prefer to add an Electronic
Message Centre to the existing sign. They also note that this sign has been here for many years
and they have received no complaints. Building Services has no record of any complaints
regarding this sign.
Staff have no objections to this variance to the by-law as the Electronic Message Centre is only
2.67 square metres (28.7 square feet) per side and is not changing the sign in any other way.
Existing Policy/By-Law:
The following section of Sign By-Law Number 2009-140 that RONA is seeking relief from:
Schedule “G-1” (2) “No ground sign shall have a side with an area of more than 30 square
centimetres (1 square foot) for each linear 30 centimeters (1 foot) of frontage on a street, to a
maximum of 13.97 square metres (150 square feet). A second sign will be permitted for frontage
in excess of 91.4 metres (300 feet), and shall be limited to a maximum area per side of 30
square centimetres (1 square foot) for each lineal 30 centimetres (1 foot) of frontage in excess
of the first 91.4 metres (300 feet), to a maximum area of 13.9 square metres (150 square feet)
per side.”
Notice Provisions:
Not applicable
Accessibility Considerations:
Not applicable
Financial Considerations:
A fee of $206.00 for the exemption application was paid in full by RONA.
Contacts:
Terry Willing, Director, Building and Licencing 613-546-4291 extension 3240
Del Stowe, Manager, Building Section 613-546-4291 extension 3261
Council Meeting 27 September 9, 2014
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Report to Council
Report Number: 14-265
September 9, 2014
Page 4 of 4
Other City of Kingston Staff Consulted:
Not applicable
Exhibits Attached:
Exhibit A – Site Plan
Exhibit B – Proposed Addition of Electronic Message Center to Existing Sign
Exhibit C – Letter from Five Star on Behalf of RONA
Council Meeting 27 September 9, 2014
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Exhibit A
Report Number 14-265
Scale 1cm=10m
5.6m
20m
226.33 m
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Exhibit B
Report Number 14-265
Council Meeting 27 September 9, 2014
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Exhibit B
Report Number 14-265
Council Meeting 27 September 9, 2014
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Exhibit C
Report Number 14-265
www.fivestarpermits.com
July 7, 2014
Mayor Mark Gerretsen and Council
City of Kingston
216 Ontario St
Kingston ON K7L 2Z3
Dear Mayor Gerretsen and Council:
Re:
Signage for Rona
2342 Princess St.
I am writing on behalf of Rona, to request permission to add an electronic message centre (EMC)
to their existing ground sign. This will make the sign area larger than what is allowed in the sign
bylaw, and your consideration of a variance is required.
The Sign Bylaw No. 2009-140, Schedule G-1 for “Ground Signs” reads:
2. No ground sign shall have a side with an area of more than 30 square centimetres
(1 square foot) for each linear 30 centimeter (1 foot) of frontage on a street, to a
maximum of 13.97 square metres (150 square feet). A second sign will be permitted
for frontage in excess of 91.4 metres (300 feet), and shall be limited to a maximum
area per side of 30 square centimetres (1 square foot) for each lineal 30 centimetres (1
foot) of frontage in excess of the first 91.4 metres (300 feet), to a maximum area of
13.9 square metres (150 square feet) per side.
This site has a frontage greater than 700 feet. Based on that, Rona is allowed to have two ground
signs, both of which could be 150 sqft. Installing a second sign would be very costly. Instead,
Rona would like to keep the existing sign the way it is, and add an EMC.
The existing sign has been in place for many years, prior to the current bylaw being in effect. It
is 180.5 sqft. The addition of an EMC (28.2 sqft) will bring the total sign area to 208.7 sqft. To
our knowledge there have been no complaints or issues with the current sign.
Rona is still recovering from the recent economic downturn. They are adding EMCs to many of
their stores in order to attract customers, improve sales and enhance their visibility in the
community.
… /2
Phone 250.487.1210
240 Parsons Road, Okanagan Falls, BC V0H 1R3
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Exhibit C
Report Number 14-265
Signage for Rona
2342 Princess St
Page 2
The proposed EMC will allow Rona to change messages digitally and this offers many benefits:
- An ambient light sensor and will automatically adjust the brightness to appropriate levels
- Messages can be designed to be visually appealing
- More than one message/product special can be advertised during the same time period
Thank you for considering our request. We are looking forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Cy Leah Atkinson
Co-Founder/Permit Specialist
Phone 250.487.1210
240 Parsons Road, Okanagan Falls, BC V0H 1R3
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