Hello, Ward 8 Neighbours!
At the October 1st Planning Committee the owner of Ancaster Self Storage applied for approval of an electronic LED sign along Garner Road.
For more details, please continue reading below.
Planning staff recommended denying the application based upon excessive height of the sign, which would be 8.14 metres, while the 2010 sign bylaw’s height restriction is 7.5 metres, along with reduced setback and the lack of a municipal address on the sign.
Mountain Coun. John-Paul Danko, who along with Ward 1 Coun. Maureen Wilson opposed allowing the sign in the 6-2 vote, castigated his colleagues for allowing the application.
“The last thing I want is applications for video signs on Upper James,” he said. “There are car dealerships that would love to have these.”
Danko attempted to defer the decision, but the city clerk ruled the motion wasn’t appropriate. Planning staff are currently updating its sign bylaw include the improvements that have been made to electronic LED signs.
“We need to have respect for our public spaces,” said Danko. “We are just opening the doors up on the fly. Let’s stay classy Hamilton.”
Kevin Werner – Hamilton News
I voted against this application for three reasons:
- This application was originally denied by staff because the proposed electronic LED billboard does not meet out current City of Hamilton sign by-law.
- I believe that large, bright, flashing video billboards (or any billboards) are an unnecessary distraction and fundamentally detract from the aesthetic value of our public spaces.
- If accepted, this application could set the precedence for a proliferation of similar electronic LED billboards along the Upper James corridor and other Hamilton roads.
Questions or Concerns?
Due to scheduling delays, this issue has yet to be settled. For more information you can read the original staff recommendation here.
Planning and by-law staff are currently in the process of updating the City of Hamilton’s sign by-law which may change the current restrictions around electronic signs.
If you have any questions or concerns or would like to provide your opinion about electronic signs, please contact our office here.
We would very much like to know what you think about this issue!