City staff push for new billboard crackdown

Oversized billboards like this one on Trunk Road near Lake Street will no longer be allowed under an extensive list of outdoor advertising restrictions being presented to City Council on Monday.

A report prepared by City planner Jerry Dolcetti recommends a maximum sign area for billboards of 20 square metres (215 square feet).

It also suggests minimum distances between billboards on the same side of the street, placement of identification tags on every sign, and annual maintenance programs.

During a tour of the City's commercial gateways, SooToday News discovered numerous signs that might benefit from improved maintenance, including this eyebrow-raising example. Council is expected to ask that a public hearing be held on Monday, October 21 to obtain feedback on the recommendations.

What's being proposed?

Recommendations of the City's planning division include the following:

- billboard advertising would continue to be prohibited beyond the Fourth Line, in rural areas and in non-commercial areas

- lighting must be so placed to not present a safety hazard to traffic

- all billboards must be at least 120 metres (394 feet) away from other billboard signs on the same side of the street

- all billboards must be at least 60 metres (197 feet) from neighbourhoods zoned residential

- all billboards must be at least 15 metres (50 feet) from any on-site advertising signage

- maximum height is eight metres (26.2 feet)

- maximum sign area on one side is 20 square metres (215 square feet)

- all billboards must be on private property

- only community agency information boards will be allowed on the public right-of-way

- a setback of eight metres (26.2 feet) is required on commercially designated properties

- all billboards must have identification tags stating the billboard owner and telephone number, etc.

- an annual maintenance program must be approved at the time the permit is issued

- appropriate building materials, such as treated wood and metal, must be used

- billboard advertising must be restricted to commercially zoned areas

- downtown billboards will be limited to existing locations

- service clubs and not-for-profit agencies will be allowed to keep their signs in place for two years, allowing time to develop a "more comprehensive arrangement"

- existing tourist directional signs that don't exceed 3.7 square metres (12 square feet) can remain in rural areas for another two years while the City implements its new directional signage program

60 'illegal' signs

City staff are convinced that the lack of billboard standards in Sault Ste. Marie is a problem.

Says Dolcetti in his report: "Over the past several years the proliferation of advertising has become very noticeable. The entrances to our community have seen a variety of signage ranging in size of message boards, construction material, design standards, size and separation distance. The visual quality of our visitor access corridors has not been enhanced with the presence of this off-site advertising which conflicts with the community's 'Naturally Gifted' image."

A City-compiled inventory of local billboards identified 200 signs, of which 60 were determined to be 'illegal' and removed.

Most of the non-conforming signs were along Great Northern Road between Third and Fifth Lines, many of them illegally situated on City road right-of-ways, Dolcetti reports.

What you said

Here's a sampling of citizen and business input to the City regarding this issue:

"Our company employs 14 full-time and two part-time persons. We own property on Trunk Road in the City and pay taxes not only for our business site, which is approximately two acres, but also for the sign locations, which we have throughout the City. We currently have approximately 50 signs and though much has been made of the location of billboard signs in the past number of months both at Council and in the press, I am pleased to report that only two signs owned by Superior Seven require rezoning .... Currently signs are not allowed in rural zoning which aplies to part of the lands running along the railroad track coming into the City of Sault Ste. Marie. This corridor is an extremely important area for local businesse to be able to advertise to visitors and local people .... Off-site signs are also not allowed in M zones. With all due respect, it is our submission that this restriction should be relaxed in revised regulations. M zones are industrial zones, they are not residential or institutional settings and therefore the basic protections which are understandable in these latter zones are not needed in industrial zones." - John Keranen, president, Superior Seven Advertising Ltd.

"I have over the last ten years or so written over 120 pieces of correspondence to you protesting the unequal treatment afforded my company and my competition, particularly Superior Seven Signs and its affiliates. I have met with three mayors and nearly every staff member related to signs and their licencing. I have in all cases pointed out that financial damage was done to my business because the City did not enforce its bylaw and it was only after nine years of this treatment did I finally start putting up a very small number of signs without a permit. In the last two years Council twice approved motions to remove illegal signs and all of mine were removed. After 18 months not a single sign of Superior Seven Signs has been removed other than the one on the new EDS site as it was required for parking .... I have pointed out dozens of times that this has caused damage to my company's reputation and millions of dollars in lost revenue to my company." - Joseph Fruchter

"This letter is in response to our meeting and the letters I received concerning the removal of the billboards at the bridge plaza exit on Huron Street. As the City's major destination attraction, the Railway has serious concerns over the loss of this billboard .... It is very regrettable that the City has extended the International Bridge no-sign zone to now include this board space, to the detriment of all businesses involved." - Michael Morrow, manager passenger marketing, Algoma Central Railway Inc.

"For many years now, the Station Mall Merchants Association has used billboard advertising to direct out-of-town visitors to our business area .... Recently with the expansion of Bay Street and improvements to the Bridge Plaza we have lost a very valuable venue at Huron Street .... We find that billboard advertising is very effective in helping to direct new business into our community." - Maureen Webb, marketing director, Station Mall Merchant's Association

You tell us

Do we need restrictions on billboard advertising in the Sault? Your comments are welcome in the News Response feature on our editorial page.