A renewed sign bylaw was passed by town council last week, passing all three readings after a public hearing was held.
The purpose of the bylaw was to fill some gaps that existed in the current regulation, Craig Teal, principal of Parkland Community Planning Services, told councillors.
“Sign regulation is not an easy one,” Teal told councillors, noting that initial changes in the regulation were drafted last summer by planning staff.
Teal said several new definitions were added to the bylaw as well as exemptions that do not require a development permit for a sign, such as window signs in the central commercial district.
Billboard signs, meanwhile, can be a maximum of three metres by six metres (10 by 20 feet).
During the public hearing portion of the meeting, Leon Durand, chair of the Uptowne Olds committee, asked several questions about the new bylaw. Durand said following the meeting, the hearing went well, adding that in previous discussions with council members, the bylaw was well laid out. One of the issues that remains outstanding from Durand's point of view is the cost of A-frame signs. Durand said once the bylaw is proclaimed, he hoped to approach the development department about the cost of signs.
Durand said he was also happy to hear that the development department will be attempting to speed up all applications and get them dealt with in 40 days between when an application is received and when a permit is issued.
In response to Durand's questions, Teal said the commercial district of the town is defined by council and that the general provisions of the regulation are the same across all districts, except for provisions explicitly laid out for highway commercial, for example. Teal said the cost of A-frame sign permits is $100 per business.
Durand said he was generally happy with the changes to the bylaw, particularly that the broad rules for uptown signage are the same as for highway commercial. He said he was generally happy with the redrawn bylaw.
Coun. Arvin Bull said he would have liked to have seen a section outlining the need for a special permit for Artwalk signs.
“I think they're a valuable thing for the community. I would like to see them separated (from other A-frame signs),” he said.
Teal said the biggest change in the bylaw is that if an application meets all the requirements, it can be approved by the development officer without going to the Municipal Planning Commission for consideration.
“Hopefully this should speed up the process for getting those kind of permits dealt with and out the door in a more timely fashion,” he said, noting that MPC will still be available to consider applications that don't meet the exact requirements.
Teal said the bylaw changes should reduce the number of sign applications coming before the MPC. Currently, anywhere between 33 and 66 per cent of the agenda items at any one meeting are sign applications.
