Agenda Index City of Vancouver

POLICY REPORT
DEVELOPMENT AND BUILDING

TO: City Council
FROM: Director of Current Planning
SUBJECT: International Village (88 West Pender Street) - Amendments to the Sign By-law
 

RECOMMENDATION

COUNCIL POLICY

Current Sign By-law provisions regulate the number, type, form, appearance and location of signs according to districts and uses. The intent of the Sign By-law is to permit signage which provides information that identifies and locates rather than advertises. It also seeks to minimize the visual intrusion of signs on housing by limiting the size and scale of signs adjacent to residential districts. Generally, in areas where residential uses are less prevalent, Sign By-law regulations are more permissive.

The Sign By-law restricts Automatic Changeable Copy Signs as follows:

… generally limited to commercial and downtown locations;
… limited to facia, free-standing or projecting signs (which by definition, cannot be inside a building);
… cannot be within 60 m of a residential area;
… limited, on large sites, to a size no more than 8 m2; and
… cannot display any third-party advertising.

On July 28, 1998, Council approved a site-specific set of regulations for 88 West Pender Street (Schedule I) to accommodate the signage proposal of the International Village developer noting that it exceeded many of the size and location restrictions typically applying to signs in commercially zoned sites.

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

This report recommends the referral to public hearing of text amendments to the Sign By-law to permit a large video sign behind the windows on the second storey, above the entrance to the International Village shopping complex at the corner of Pender Street and Abbott Street. The amendments would also waive the restriction on third-party advertising on the signage providing the sign is advertising goods or services that are provided or for sale at the store displaying the signage.

The proposed installation would consist of an automatic changeable copy sign in the form of a series of video monitors working either in tandem or individually. The applicant believes that this is a high profile opportunity to attract customers to this location. Although it can be expected that in future there will be some residential dwellings facing the sign, the Sign By-law has been less restrictive in mixed use commercial-residential areas. It is suggested that the restrictions on third-party content and the size of the sign will be limited for now to this

An illustration of the proposed Benetton Sportsystem automatic changeable copy sign (consisting of video monitors) above the entrance at the corner of Pender Street and Abbott Street

one location. Although the sign is larger than the typical automatic changeable copy sign, it reflects the scale of the shopping centre and its orientation to entertainment. For these reasons, staff support the sign proposal.

DISCUSSION

Background

The International Village marketplace development is the focus of a four block area of mixed use development located between Gastown, Chinatown, GM Place and the Concord-Pacific lands at the east end of False Creek. The marketplace development lies between Pender, Taylor, Keefer and Abbott Streets and includes two storeys of underground parking, three storeys of commercial development, two storeys of townhouses and a 23-storey residential tower. The commercial uses are primarily retail, restaurant, service and entertainment and are oriented to the street, an internal pedestrian galleria, or a combination of the two. The shopping complex has recently opened.

Currently, a hotel faces the proposed video sign. Staff expect that mixed-use residential and commercial development will eventually be developed on sites facing the proposed sign.

Staff believe that this video sign will be the first of similar proposals elsewhere in the city and recommend that it be considered under the Sign By-law provisions pertaining to automatic changeable copy signs. Signs with similar animated images, but using different technology, have been approved under these provisions (e.g. GM Place). An illustration of the sign is on page 3.

Facing the intersection of Pender and Abbott Streets, the proposed sign will mark a gateway to Chinatown and International Village as one approaches from the downtown and Gastown.

The proposed video sign requires an amendment of the following sections of the Sign By-law:

Issue Sign Proposal Proposed Amendment
1. No provision in the By-law permits an interior automatic changeable copy sign. -a series of video screens (behind a window) working in tandem showing animated images promoting the Benetton store and its merchandise -amend Section 11.8.2 and Schedule I to permit an interior automatic changeable copy sign at Pender and Abbott Streets
2. This type of sign is limited to no more than 8 m2 (86 sq. ft.) for a site of this size -the proposed sign is 27 m2 (291 sq. ft.) -amend Schedule I to permit an automatic changeable copy sign up to 27 m2 (291 sq. ft.) in size
3. The video sign will advertise products or services sold on the premises. The Sign By-law does not permit any third-party advertising on automatic changeable copy signs. For other signs, third-party content is limited to no more than 30% of the copy of the sign. - the applicant has requested that the sign display third-party advertising and that there be no limit on this type of advertising -amend Schedule I to waive the restrictions which apply to third-party advertising for the changeable copy sign, but limit copy to those products or services sold or provided on the premises (i.e. the Benetton store).

Staff support the proposed sign including the proposed size of the sign because it is in proportion to the large scale of the shopping complex. Although it will likely face residential development in the future, sign regulations have been less restrictive for areas of mixed commercial-residential development.

The Sign By-law has been restrictive on the amount of third-party advertising as one measure to minimize the proliferation of commercial advertising. Staff support waiving this restriction as long as the content of the advertising pertains to the goods and services available at the store (i.e. Benetton). Waiving this restriction and permitting an increased size for the automatic changeable copy sign will be limited to this site because Schedule I only applies to the International Village shopping complex.

“Site & Surrounding Zoning: 88 West Pender Street” map on file in City Clerk’s Office.

Public Input

The applicant has agreed to hold a public information meeting in the neighbourhood and the results of this meeting will be relayed to Council.

CONCLUSION

Staff support the application by the developer of the International Village shopping complex to amend the Sign By-law to permit an automatic changeable copy sign adjacent to Pender and Abbott Street which exceeds the Sign By-law’s size and advertising content restrictions. It reflects the intent of the site-specific Sign Bylaw regulations which permit larger signs for this shopping development. Staff believe that it is appropriate to amend these size and content restrictions for large-scale developments or areas which are entertainment-oriented.

INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE SIGN BY-LAW AMENDMENTS

It is proposed that the by-law be amended generally as below:

1. Amend Section 11.8.2 by adding the following provision shown in italics:

2. Amend Schedule I by adding the following after (1.0) (i) (xi):

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