Bylaw to knock signs down to size

City of Kelowna staff want maximum height of commercial signs reduced to 5 metres

Kelowna should lower the bar in terms of commercial sign heights in a bid to make the city more beautiful and unique, council will hear Monday.

The maximum height of all new commercial signs should be reduced from eight metres to five metres, city staff suggest.

Also, new digital signs should not be allowed at all in commercial areas, staff suggest, citing a survey said to show strong public support for a proposed ban.

“Only 13 per cent of respondents felt digital signs were appropriate in local shopping areas,” planner Ryan Roycroft writes in a report to council.

The comprehensive new sign bylaw, 18 months in the making, would fundamentally change the ways in which business owners could promote their establishments in the future.

New restrictions on the height of signs, and the ban on digital and animated signs, would “place Kelowna firmly in the category of leader in reducing signage size in the region,” Roycroft says.

Commercial signs up to nine metres are allowed in Penticton, Vernon and West Kelowna.

The five-metre maximum proposed for Kelowna would still ensure businesses get the exposure they desire while making for a more eye-pleasing landscape overall, Roycroft says.

“By substantially reducing freestanding sign sizes, Kelowna may set itself apart and begin to distinguish itself stylistically,” he says.

Digital and animated signs, under the proposed bylaw, would only be allowed next to buildings with a cultural, recreational or institutional purpose. Generally, this would mean structures such as theatres, schools and hockey rinks.

“Staff are unable to see any public good, nor esthetic value, in allowing digital animated signs on commercial buildings,” Roycroft says.

Support for the proposed restrictions is said by staff to have been demonstrated in an online survey conducted by the city between mid-October and midNovember.

A total of 598 responses were received. The city acknowledges the survey is not a scientific opinion poll but represents the views only of people interested in the sign issue.

“Due to the opt-in and open method, results cannot be said to represent views of all Kelowna citizens,” says part of a report on the engagement process.

It will be up to council to decide whether to proceed with the new sign bylaw.

There is no opportunity for members of the public, at a formal meeting, to address council on the issue.