Item - 2025.SB17.2

The Sign Variance Committee:

1. Referred this matter to the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building for the purposes of receiving further submissions from the Applicant in support of the Application for One Variance, Each Subject to Three Conditions, Respecting One Third Party Electronic Ground Sign - 3493 Kingston Road for the purpose of preparing a supplementary report responding to, and transmitting to the Sign Variance Committee, these further submissions of the Applicant; and to report back to the September 12, 2025 meeting of the Sign Variance Committee.

A decision of the Sign Variance Committee, in the case of a decision to refuse to grant a variance, is final and binding on the date the decision was issued; and in the case of a decision to grant a variance with conditions, the decision is final and binding 21 days after the date the decision was issued unless an application to consider is filed by the ward councillor in accordance with §694-30S of Chapter 694 of the City of Toronto Municipal Code.

JOLT Charge Inc (the "Applicant") has submitted a sign variance application requesting one variance required to allow the Chief Building Official ("CBO") to issue a sign permit to erect and display a double-faced third party electronic ground sign, displaying electronic static copy (the "Proposed Sign"), on the property municipally known as 3493 Kingston Road (the "Subject Premises").

The portion of the Subject Premises where the Proposed Sign would be placed is designated Commercial Residential ("CR") Sign District, which allows third party signs, however, does not expressly permit electronic ground signs. A variance is required to permit the erection and display of a sign type that is not permitted in the CR Sign District.

The Proposed Sign would have a maximum height of 2.65 meters from grade. It would contain two rectangular sign faces in a back-to-back configuration, oriented northeast and southwest, perpendicular to Kingston Road. Each sign face would measure 0.93 metres by 1.65 metres, resulting in a sign face area of 1.54 square metres. Further details of the Proposed Sign are provided in Attachment 1.

The Applicant's Submissions indicate that the Proposed Sign would be affixed to a structure that also features an electric vehicle charging station (the "EV charging station"). As Chapter 694 exclusively regulates signs, this report focuses solely on the components associated to the Proposed Sign. All aspects related to the EV charging station, including relevant laws and regulations, are excluded from the scope of this report.

Following a review of the Applicant's submissions and additional information provided by staff, the CBO has determined that there is not a sufficient basis to conclude that the eight required criteria in §694-30A of the Sign By-law have been established with respect to the one variance, subject to three conditions, as described further in Attachment 1 of this report. Specifically, based on the CBO's assessment the submitted materials do not adequately demonstrate that the Proposed Sign is compatible with the development of the premises and surrounding area, supports the objectives of the Official Plan, not alters the character of the area, or aligns with the public interest, and not be a sign prohibited by §694-15B. The latter criterion - prohibition under §694-15B - is evaluated on a binary (yes/no) basis, and failure to meet this single requirement constitutes sufficient grounds for refusal of the variance application.