Agenda Index City of Vancouver

POLICY REPORT
URBAN STRUCTURE

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

Director of City Plans in consultation with Director of Current Planning

SUBJECT:

Billboards near Skytrain and other Guideways or Passenger Service Rail Tracks

 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

Council policy, as reflected in the Sign By-law, is to allow billboards in several commercial and all industrial zoning districts, subject to location, spacing, height and size restrictions. Billboards are not permitted within 60 metres of residential zones, or in False Creek, Coal Harbour, Downtown South, Burrard Slopes and several other Downtown locations near residential development.

PURPOSE

This report recommends an amendment to the Sign By-law to prohibit billboards within 60 metres (197 ft.) of existing and future rapid transit guideways and rail tracks that carry passenger trains generally as proposed in Appendix A.

BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION

Amendments to the Sign By-law on December 14, 1996 restricted billboards from locating within residential areas in and near the Downtown. Subsequent amendments approved by Council on
June 22, 2000 further restricted billboards from locating with 60 metres of any residential area. In combination with existing restrictions in the Sign By-law, billboards are now essentially limited to industrial areas.

Given the high visibility of some industrial locations, along new or existing Skytrain lines and other rail passenger service routes, staff believe these locations could become concentrated with new billboards. Staff are particularly concerned with the Grandview Boundary and False Creek Flats industrial areas which also contain the Amtrak rail service to Seattle, Via rail service, and the future Central Valley Greenway, linking False Creek and the Downtown with Burnaby. Although not as highly visible, staff believe the Westcoast Express route through the Port lands industrial area on route to its Downtown terminus should also be included in the proposed changes. In this case however, the City could only apply the 60 metre setback over lands to the south of the rail line since the lands to the north are under Federal Port authority. All these locations are important entryways into the City and Downtown, and the Flats and Grandview Boundary are areas where new high-tech industrial communities are being encouraged.

Staff believe it is important to consider the potential negative impacts to the visual image of these areas and the image of the City as a whole if new billboards were concentrated along these major City gateways. Appendix B illustrates the proposed 60 metre setback from the Expo Skytrain line, the terminus of the Millennium Skytrain line and the Amtrak and Via lines in the False Creek Flats. Appendix C illustrates the proposed 60 metre setback from the Millenium line in the Grandview Boundary Industrial Area, and Appendix D illustrates the impact along the Westcoast Express route.

It should be noted, that banning billboards in these locations will further restrict the sign industry's options for locating billboards in the City. On balance though, staff believe it is in the public interest to keep the Skytrain and other passenger rail service routes free of new billboard advertising, and recommend that Council forward the Sign By-law amendment to Public Hearing.

CONCLUSION

Staff are concerned that, since there are limited locations where billboards are permitted, the opening of the new Skytrain line through industrial areas could result in a proliferation of billboards along key rail passenger routes into the city and particularly in areas where high quality high technologydevelopments are being proposed. To prevent this possibility, staff recommend that the attached draft Sign By-law amendment be forwarded to Public Hearing.

Link to Appendices A, B, C and D

* * * * *

ag010918.htm

Comments or questions? You can send us email.
[City Homepage] [Get In Touch]

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver