Thursday, June 14th, 2007 ::: Contempt of City Council

Welcome back to Contempt, where we take a look at illegal signs that are still being operated after City Council rejected the variance for the signs.

Today, we look at Pattison’s massive iPod ad at King and Spadina:

The interesting thing about this file: City Council granted a variance to paint a third party sign at this location for this size; then, City Council rejected a variance to hang a vinyl sign at this location for a smaller size. This illustrates the stark difference in which the Planning Department and City Council treat vinyl and painted signs.

In August 1992, Michael Chesney of Murad Communications applied for and obtained a variance from Former Toronto City Council to paint a 445 square metre mural on this wall. The Planning Department recommended approval of the mural because it would “enliven the expanse” of the buildings’ wall.

Here is the City Council decision approving the painted mural and the associated planning report:

But Michael Chesney wasn’t satisfied with that variance. Although Murad operated a few painted murals at this location, Chesney soon erected an illegal vinyl fascia sign on this wall. Three years after City Council approved the mural variance, Chesney applied for a variance to replace the 445 square metre painted mural with a 223 square meter vinyl sign. This time, the Planning Department recommend refusal. This refusal came after the by-law was amended to permit fascia signs in industrial zones as large as 70 square metres without separation requirements. Although the required variances for the 223 square metre sign were significantly less than the variances required under the current by-law, and although the size of the proposed vinyl sign was about half that of the approved mural sign, the aesthetics of a vinyl sign were different enough from the aesthetics of a painted mural that Planning still recommended refusal, saying: the sign would face Spadina Avenue and I can see no reason why the proposed sign should not comply more closely to the size provisions of the Sign By-Law.

Here is the City Council decision rejecting the vinyl fascia sign and the associated planning report:

In fact, the Planning Department has consistently recommended refusal for the replacement of painted signs with vinyl signs.

Despite the fact that City Council rejected the replacement of the 445 square metre mural sign with a 232 square metre vinyl fascia sign in 1995, Pattison Outdoor is currently operating a 445 square metre vinyl fascia sign at this location, under long term contract to Apple.