Changes being contemplated to the sign bylaw in Olds will be the subject of a public hearing in February following a presentation to the Policies and Priorities Committee last week.
The proposed changes to the bylaw include amalgamating all sign related definitions and regulations under one schedule under the Land Use Bylaw.
Currently, the majority of signage is listed as a discretionary use and thus must come before the Municipal Planning Commission for approval. The changes to the sign bylaw propose to put the decision-making power in the hands of development officers for a majority of sign applications ó as long as the applications meet the requirements under the definitions.
The bylaw lists approximately 35 different types of signs that may be used throughout the community for different purposes.
Craig Teal, director of Parkland Community Planning Services, told councillors at the January 17 meeting that in addition to clarifying and consolidating the sign bylaw, the changes would streamline the workload the MPC does. Currently, about 40 per cent of the agenda is taken up by sign requests.
Part of the purpose of clarifying the bylaw is to make sure that the esthetics are pleasing and that signs aren't cluttering the landscape, Teal told councillors. The changes also want to clarify the regulations around how billboards and flashing signs will work.
During the meeting, Mayor Judy Dahl said she believed that the town needed to devise a policy to deal with the number of garage sale signs that proliferate in the community. She said the policy also needs to take into account parameters around taking down the signs after the sales have concluded.
Coun. Arvin Bull asked whether a change in signs at an uptown location, for example, needs a development permit. Teal said a permit isn't required if the use of the space is for the same purpose, for example a restaurant changing to a different restaurant. But Teal said if major modifications are being made to the site ó for example a restaurant adding 20 more seats ó then a development permit would be needed.
Teal said following first reading of the bylaw last summer, the item was taken off the agenda to take into account survey feedback PCPS got on the issue and to incorporate that into the revised bylaw.
ìWe had various ideas and thoughts up for people to generally comment on ó that includes the current bylaw ó we got some feedback from that process from businesses and residents. That input was taken into account in creating the materials that (were to) be presented to council,î Teal said.
It's expected that a public hearing will be conducted on the new bylaw sometime in February.
"We had various ideas and thoughts up for people to generally comment on - that includes the current bylaw - we got some feedback from that process from businesses and residents."Craig Teal, princial, PCPS
