STAFF REPORT: Development Variance Permit No. 2016/14 - #120-29 Helmcken Road

Council Report

TO: Mayor and Council DATE: November 30, 2016 FROM: J. Chow, Senior Planner MEETING DATE: December 6, 2016 FILE NO.: 3090-20-2016/14

DEVELOPMENT VARIANCE PERMIT 2016/14

#120-29 Helmcken Road (CBI Health Centre)

RECOMMENDATION:

That Development Permit Variance Application 2016/14 be approved.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER’S COMMENTS:

I concur with the recommendation.

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES’ COMMENTS:

I concur with the recommendation.

PURPOSE OF REPORT:

The purpose of this report is to consider a development variance permit application to permit one additional fascia sign for Unit #120-29 Helmcken Road (CBI Health) at Eagle Creek Village shopping centre.

PROPOSAL:

Land Use Bylaw 1990, No. 35 permits one fascia sign and one logo sign per wall associated with each business on this property. One fascia sign for CBI Health Centre on the south wall of the building facing Helmcken Road has been installed. The request is to permit one additional fascia sign as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The additional sign would be a halo lit channel letter sign with 38cm (15inch) tall letters and be comprised of one word: “Physiotherapy”.

ANALYSIS:

The Canadian Back Institute Health Centre (CBI Health Centre) occupies Unit #120 on the ground floor of office building at the corner closest to the intersection of Helmcken Road and Watkiss Way. The additional sign would not be out of scale because the unit has a long, 29m building frontage facing Helmcken Road (three “storefronts”) as shown in Attachment 4, and another 14m on Watkiss Way. The comprehensive sign plan does not designate a sign location on the Watkiss Way façade of this unit because that façade has a staggered layout as shown in Attachment 4.

The applicant and the property owner have submitted letters of request for the variance in Attachments 2 and 3. The application can be supported for several reasons:

1. The location, size, materials and illumination of the sign would be consistent with the comprehensive sign plan approved for the shopping centre.
2. From a form and character perspective, the additional fascia sign would be in keeping with the scale of the overall development and would not be visually obtrusive.

RECOMMENDATION:

That Development Permit Variance Application 2016/14 be approved.

SUBMITTED BY: Jeff Chow, MCIP, RPP, Senior Planner

REVIEWED BY: Lindsay Chase, MCIP, RPP, Director of Development Services