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2001/10/22 SPECIAL MEETING Monday, October 22, 2001 From 4:00p.m. to 4:30 p.m. City Hall, Committee Room #2A & B 1) REPORTS: MW-2001-145 - Proposed Hard Rock Caf~ -Projecting Sign 5685 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls Staff Contact: Ed Dujlovic 2) ADJOURNMENT: Community Services Department Municipal Works 4310 Oueen Street P.O. Box 1023 Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6X5 web site: www.city.niagarafalls.on.ca Tel.: (905) 356-7521 Fax: (905) 356-2354 E-mail: sdujlovi~city.niagarafalls.on.ca MW-2001-145 Ed DuJlo¥1c, P. Eng. Director October 22, 2001 Alderman Victor Pictrangclo, Chairperson and Members of thc Community Services Committee City of Niagara Falls, ON Members: re: MW-2001-145 - Proposed Hard Rock Caf6 - Projecting Sign 5685 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls RECOMMENDATION: For the consideration of Council. BACKGROUND: As a result of the concerns raised at the October 15,2001, Community Services Committee meeting regarding the proposed Hard Rock Caf6 sign, Canadian Niagara Hotels retained Synectics, Transportation and Road Safety Consultants, to conduct a review of the proposed sign. A copy of the review is enclosed, as well as staff's response to the report. The Consultant has indicated that the sign does not pose a significant safety risk to road users, however, City staff has some concerns and, in particular, establishing the precedent of allowing advertising signs over the driving lanes of the road right-of-way. Recommended by: E. Dujlovic, P. Eng. Director of Mnnicipal Works 7~mitted: John MacDonald Executive Director of Community Services ED:kk Enclosure Working Together to Serve Our CommuniO~ Municipal Works Fire Sen/ices Parks, Recreation & Culture Business Development October ,17a, 2001 Mr. Michael Dicienzo Vice President, Restaurant Concepts, Canadian Niagara Hotels Inc., 5685 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls, Ontario L2E 6VV7 Re: Letter Report Proposed "Hard Rook Cafit" Projecting Sign - 5686 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls, Ontario Synectics Transportation Consultants inc. Transportation and Road Safety Consultants Suite 200 - 36 Hiscott Street St. Catharines, Ontario Canada L2R 1C8 synectics~stci.net Tel. (905) 704 0763 Investigation of Potential Road User Safety Concerns Raised by City Staff Dear Mr. Dicienzo: This letter report is provided in reference to our meeting of October 16~, 2001 with yourself, your architect, and City of Niagara Falls staff to discuss concerns posed by a "Hard Rock Cafe' projecting sign, proposed for installation on the east face of 5685 Falls Avenue. I understand you will be forwarding a copy of this report to Mr. Ed Dujlovic at the City of Niagara Falls for his review. Background: Attending the October 16~, 2001 meeting were yourself, Mr. Emilio Raimondo (Piraino & Raimondo Architects Inc.), Mr. Ed Dujlovic, P.Eng., Director of Municipal Works, along with other City staff, and Mr. John McGill, P.Eng., P.T.O:E., and Mr. Greg Junnor of Synectics Transportation Consultants Inc.(Synectics). Terms of reference for the meeting were drawn from an October 15"', 2001 submission to Council, prepared by the Community Services Department, Building and By-law Services, responding to a variance to City Sign By-law No. 6681, requested by Canadian Niagara Hotels Inc. to permit the installation of the sign in question. Staff's recommendation was that the variance not be approved. Concerns cited in the submission included the following: · the.proposed sign exceeds the maximum area prescribed for such a sign in the By-law; · the height of the proposed sign exceeds the maximum prescribed in the By-law; the proposed sign will project beyond the face of the building, over the sidewalk and the southbound curb lane of Falls Avenue - to a degree prohibited in the By- law; and SynecUc~ Tranq)ol~lUon Con~Jltant~ Inc. October 2001 Page 2 Propo~d "Hard Rock Cafe" Projec~ng Sign - 5685 Fall; Avenue, Niagara Falls Invest~gaaon ol' Polenlial Road User Safety Concerns Raised by City Staff that the pmpossd sign, projecting in such a manner, may interfere with or distract from existing and/or proposed traffic control devices installed on Falls Avenue in its vicinity, and thus pose a concern for the safety of road users - particularly pedestrians crossing Falls Avenue at a planned pedestrian signal, proposed for installation at the northeast corner of 5685 Falls Avenue (the Hard Rock Cafe). During the discussion, City staff indicated that concerns regarding the size and scale of the sign, its height, and its projection beyond the face of the building, over the sidewalk and roadway, had bean addressed from a policy and structural safety/liability perspective, and were no longer issues. However, City staff indicated that concerns regarding the potential impact of the sign on road user safety remain unresolved to their satisfaction. City staff indicated that additional information would be required, demonstrating that the sign would not create a potentially less-safe situation - either in the immediate future or when the pedestrian signal is installed - before their recommendation could be amended. Canadian Niagara Hotels Inc, along with their architect and road safety consultant, were asked to provide City staff with the required information no later than noon, Thursday, October 18th, 2001, so that a revised staff report could be prepared for a Council Meeting on October 22"d, 2001. Specific road user safety concerns outlined by City staff - Mr. Dujlovic in particular - were as follows: · some drivers southbound on Falls Avenue may be distracted by the presence of the sign; the shape and the colour of the sign, as well as its location over the roadway, may cause some drivers proceeding southbound on Falls Avenue to initially conclude that the sign is some form of traffic control device, and thus lead them to needlessly focus their attention on the sign in an effort to determine what message/actions are being prescribed by it; and the safe operation of a planned pedestrian signal in the vicinity of the sign may be compromised by the presence of the sign - specifically, the colour, brightness and animation of the sign may detract from the conspicuity of the signal displays, and the presence of the sign itself may divert driver attention from the presence of pedestrians in the roadway and/or stopped vehicles ahead. In reviewing these concerns, Synectics staff relied on the following information specific to the issue, at hand: a copy of BBS-2001-28, prepared by the Community Services Department, Building and By-law Services of the City of Niagara Falls, dated October 15~, 2001, provided by the client; · site plans of 5685 Falls Avenue, and shop drawings and digital depictions of the proposed sign, provided by Mr. Emilio Raimondo, the client's architect; Synectics Transportation Consultants Inc. October 2001 Later Rqx~t Proposed "Hard Rock Cafe" ProjecUng Sign - 5685 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls Invest]gatiofl of Potential Road User Sa;~t~, Concerns Raised by City Staff Page 3 · verbal discussions with City staff, during our meeting of October 16t~, 2001; and · site visits conducted on October 16~ and October 17~, 2001. Driver Distraction - A Short Discussion: The study of ergonomics - human factors, is a relatively new science. Our understanding of the physical and cognitive aspects of human perl~ormance in the driving task is incomplete. The specific role of extemal influences (e.g. advertising signs) in the occurrence of driver distraction, resulting in errors and collisions, is largely unstudied, and is therefore unknown to any degree of certainty. No direct linkage between the presence of outdoor advertising displays and an increase in the occurrence of collisions has been scientifically established, to date. The discussion that follows outlines what is presently known on the subject - what is documented within the human factors body of knowledge. It also overviews the informed speculation of the profession as to what may later be proved to be fact. Finally, it describes how this information applies to the issues at hand. Ddvers, as humans, have defined mental and physical capabilities, the limitations of which must be respected if errors and their consequences are to be avoided in the performance of the driving task. Ddver workload, surprise and distraction are key considerations in avoiding driver error, and thus improving road safety. Ddvers can only absorb and make sense of so much of the information available to them in the driving environment. Thus ddvers "sample' the information stream, looking for items of relevance to their task (driving) and the vadous sub-tasks (selecting an appropriate speed and path, navigating to a destination, etc.) at hand in any given moment. Pdority is given to locating and comprehending information that is relevant to the most important tasks of the moment - e.g. staying on the road, avoiding a collision, navigating to a destination. Often a driver's workload is such that spare capacity is available. Roads are designed and operated so that drivers are not overtaxed, and surprises - such as unexpected intersections or traffic controls - are avoided. Formal information displays (official signs, traffic signals and pavement markings) are designed and installed to be clear, conspicuous, and unambiguous, and to provide the road user sufficient time to perceive them and react to their message. Ddving is a leamed task that, once mastered, requires iesa than a driver's full attention in most circumstances. Accordingly, drivers will divide their attention, between the driving task and other items of interest. For example, a driver will use this spare capacity to examine sources of information not directly relevant to the ddving task. Often they will glance at cityscapes, vistas, landscapes and advertising displays external to the vehicle. However, the potential for Synectics Transpoftal~oa Consultants Inc. October 2001 LeU~ Report Propom. J "Hard Rock Ca~" Projecting Sign - 5685 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls Investi~it~on oi' Potential Road User Safety Concm'ns Raised by City S~aff Paoe 4 driver distraction is not limited only to external influences. Drivers will, from time-to-time, converse with passengers, talk on cell phones, attend to in-vehicle information displays (radio, CD player, navigational aides), and focus on internal thoughts. Distraction is not something for which drivers have no defense. They can choose to "tune out' irrelevant information and focus on priorities, provided that the available information sources can be evaluated quickly as to their relevance - thus allowing irrelevant information sources to be ignored before too much capacity is expended upon them. When workload increases, or a driving task priority intervenes, drivers will usually shift their attention away from irrelevant tasks, and the information sources associated with them, and focus on relevant issues. This is referred to as "shedding'. Driver performance is enhanced in the shedding of irrelevant information and tasks by forewarning, and by the availability of clear distinctions between what is relevant and what is irrelevant information. In the design and application of official information displays, and in the control of competing displays such as advertising signs, this enhancement to the shedding capabilities of drivers is achieved in a number of ways, as follows: official information displays are made uniform in terms of shape, colour, message content, location and context - thus they stand out and are easily recognized for what they are; non-official information displays, visible from the roadway, are prohibited from mimicking the attributes of off'~al signs - thus they are prevented from competing with off'~al signs for priority attention; the design elements associated with non-official information displays, such as illumination and animation, are carefully controlled - thus avoiding the presentation of sequential displays that may invite prolonged glances on the part of drivers; the design elements of official information displays, intended for use in areas rich in complex information displays or with high levels of background illumination - where competition for driver attention is high - may be enhanced to make the official information bigger, brighter, repetitive and/or bolder - thus allowing the official information displays to retain their dominance of the visual environment; and the .visual environment, viewed from a road user perspective, is examined holistically, to identif7 and mitigate any potential interference created by the 'layering' of information displays in an information-rich environment - thus avoiding compromises to the effectiveness of official information displays. Syzmctk~ Tran~x~rtation Co,mu#ants inc. October 2001 Letter Report Propo*r, ed "'Hard Rock Cafe" Projecting Sign - 5685 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls Investigation of Potential Road I.Ism. Safety Concerns Raised by City Staff Page $ The "Hard Rock Caf~' Sign as a Potentially Distractive Element: Description The sign in question is 13+ metres tall and 4.5 metres wide. It will be affixed to the side of a multi-story structure, slightly more than 7 mefl'es above the roadway surface of Falls Avenue, and will project out over the roadway. It is a realistic rendition of a Gibson Les Paul guitar, with the legend "Hard Rock CAFe" affixed to the body of the instrument on both sides. The body of the instrument will be a mahogany colour, painted and extemally illuminated, and the entire instrument will be outlined in red neon. The legend will be painted white, outlined in steady-bum red neon, and will be internally illuminated in white neon. The legend 'Hard Rock" will be animated, spelling itself out letter by letter, from left to dght, with the word "CAFI~" illuminating at the end of the sequence. The sequence will then repeat. Context Falls Avenue in the vicinity of the proposed location is a nominal four-lane undivided artedal roadway. Traffic is predominantly tourism-orientated. Vehicular and pedestrian volumes along Falls Avenue are heavy during peak travel pedods, and pedestrian crossing volumes are also significant - sufficient to warrant the installation of a mid-block pedestrian signal, according to City staff. Southbound traffic traverses a signalized intersection on a descending grade and a curve to the dght before reaching the subject area. A presentation of the roadway ahead is limited by buildings on the west side of the read, on the inside of the curve. The sign is to be aff'~ed to the east face of the Hard Rock Cafe, 5685 Falls Avenue, and will become visible to southbound traffio as they negotiate the curve to the dght. The Hard Rock Caf~ is located within the Clifton Hill toudst area of Niagara Falls, an internationally-recognized toudsm destination known for its outdoor advertising displays. Drivers southbound on Falls Avenue pass both Planet Hollywood and the Hershey Centre before reaching the Hard Rock Cafe. Each of these facilities has large, uniquely designed advertising displays visible from Falls Avenue. These displays are highly illuminated and conspicuous at night. Conclusion Given the widely-known reputation of the area, and the presence of the Planet Hollywood and the Hershey Centre advertising displays upstream, It is unlikely that ddvers will be surprised by the presence of a large, unique advertising display such as the one proposed. The Hard Rock Caf~ logo is widely recognized, and provides a further indication to drivers as to the classification of information (advertising/promotion) being displayed. Synectlcs Transportation Consultants Inc. October 2001 Letter Report Proposal "Hard Rock Cafe" ProjecUng Sign - 5685 Falls Avenue, Niagara Fails Investigation o~ Potential Road User Safety Concerns Raised by City Staff Page 7 The "Hard Rock Cafe" Sign as a Safety Concern in Regards to tile Pienned Pedestrian Signal: The City has announced future plans to install a pedestrian signal (midblock) on Falls Avenue, at a point where the entrance to the Hard Rock Caf~ is on the west side, and the pedestrian footpath is on the east. O#entation Appendix A describes how a scaled representation of the arrangement of the proposed sign and the proposed pedestrian signal was used to examine the resulting visual scene from an approaching southbound driver's perspective. It concludes that the Hard Rock Caf~ sign, as proposed, will not physically obscure an approaching southbound driver's view of the primary traffic signal display at the proposed pedestrian signal. Whether it will adversely impact on the ability of drivers to detect and interpret the traffic signal display, will depend on how well the pedestrian signal display stands out from its background and the surrounding environment. This is discussed below. Drivers approaching the proposed pedestrian signal will follow a curve to the right. Their tine of sight will be orientated towards the left side of the roadway, as buildings on the west side cut off their view ahead. This means that, aside from advance warning signs, the first indication of the presence and location of the pedestrian crossing will be the secondary signal display (and a left-hand auxilia;y display, if one is provided). Pedestrians in the crossing on the east side of the road will also be visible. The primary display will only come into view as the driver nears the crossing. In this circumstance, given the geometry of the site, it is of less relative importance. Nonetheless, its conspicuity deserves further attention. Red Colour of Sign Conflicting with Pdmary Red Signal Indication This was addressed to some extent in the previous section. The sign contains no circular red, amber of green indications that could be confused with a traffic signal display. The location of the pdmary traffic signal head for the pedestrian crossing will be, from a driver's perspective, in front of and below the sign. Illumination and Animation As noted earlier, care should however be taken to ensure that the illumination intensity of the sign is moderated to avoid the creation of glare, and that all illuminating elements are aimed a. nd/or shielded to avoid the projection of any direct light towards approaching road users. This will also serve to ~:luce its competition with the traffic signal display. The degree of animation proposed for the sign is unremarkable, given the context of the surrounding area, and should not impose a seduction to distraction from which the driver has no defense. Sync~ics Transpo~atlon Consultants Inc. October 200t Letter Repm't Prolx~ed "Hard Rock Cafe' Proj~'ting Sign - 5685 Fa#s Avenue, Niagara Fidis Investig~k~ of Poten~l Road User Safety Concerns Raised by City Staff Page 8 Possible Enhancements to the Conspicuity of the Traffic S/gna/Displays As with other traffic control devices located throughout the Clifton Hill area, the proposed pedestrian crossing displays will need to successfully compete for driver attention within a visually complex and information-rich environment. At night, this competition will occur under conditions of high ambient illumination. The unfamiliar drivers (generally tourists) that frequent the area, and the higher workload imposed on drivers by the traffic densities and pedestrian activity the area experiences compound this challenge. It may be prudent for the City to consider the implementation of one or more treatments to improve the conspicuity of traffic control devices that must function effectively in this environment. This suggestion is made in terms of the site in question, and as a general recommendation for all areas where such conditions persist. Possible treatments include the following: · the use of larger signs, higher-performance sign sheeting materials, or some combination of the two; · brighter, LED-type traffic signal displays; · 30 cm lenses for all traffic signal displays; · backboards on all traffic signal displays; · auxiliary traffic signal displays where line-of-sight issues exist. Summary: The Hard Rock Caf~ sign, as proposed, does not, in our view, pose a significant safety risk to read users through its potential to distract southbound ddvers. The unique characteristics of the sign are sufficient to allow drivers to identify it as an advertising device, and thus determine that it is not a form of traffic control or any manner of official sign requiring attention. Our analysis of the proposed positioning of the sign, and that of a proposed pedestrian signal in the vicinity, indicates that there will be no physical overlap between the silhouette of the sign and that of the pdmary traffic signal display. While there remains some question as to whether the sign will ultimately detract from the conspicuity of the primary traffic signal display at night, this issue is dependent on many variables, and cannot be addressed with certainty at this time. Provided the Hard Rock Caf~ sign is not allowed to be so excessively bright that it creates a glare-effect for oncoming drivem, it is our view that the redundant nature of the signal displays, the alignment of the roadway and thus the orientation of the driver's line-of-sight towards the secondary and auxiliary signal displays, and the options available to enhance the conspicuity of the traffic signal displays - should it become necessary - will provide the City with the means to mitigate any potential concerns that arise at that time. Synect]cs Transportation Consultants Inc. October 200t Proposed "Hard Ro¢k Cafe" Projecting Sight - 5~85 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls Investigation of PoIenUM Roed User Saf~-f Cone. ems Raised by City Staff On behalf of all of our staff, I wish to thank you for allowing Synectics to assist you in this matter. If you or the Niagara Falls City staff has any concems or questions regarding our report, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. John McGill or myself. Sincerely, Synectlcs Transportation Consultants Inc. Greg Junnor, DipI.T., Manager, Transportation Safety Applications Synecl~s Tranaporta~n Co.~ultants Inc. Oclober 2001 LeU~r Rapc~t Pt~msed "Hard Rock Ca~' Project~ng Sign - 5685 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls Irwe~ligation o~ Poten~l Road User Safe{y Concenm Raised by City Staff Page 10 APPEND~ A Examination of Sight Lines Synoctic~ Tranqx.tation Consultants Inc. October 2001 LeU~ Repo~ Proposed "Hard Rock Caf~~ Projecting Sign - 5685 Falls Avenue, Niagara Fails Investigation of Poten~al Ro~d User Safety Concew~ Raised by City Staff Page 1t Note: All calculations are in impedal units, as original plans used in the evaluation were prepared at a scale of 1" - 50'. All metric conversions are approximate. Assumptions The proposed sign will be of the dimensions (45'-0" high, 14'-5" wide) provided, and will be installed at a height of 23'-6" above the road surface of Falls Avenue (crown), and at the location shown on shown on Piraino and Raimondo Master Plan - Site Plan, dated May 1999 and printed with revisions September 14, 2001. The proposed pedestrian signal will be installed with the marked crosswalk located opposite the Hard Rock Cafb entrance, as shown on Piraino and Raimondo Master Plan - Site Plan, dated May 1999 and printed with revisions September 14, 2001 (directly opposite the pedestrian footpath on the east side of the street. The stop bar for southbound traffic on Falls Avenue will be placed approximately 4' (1.2 m) in advance of the crosswalk. The eye of a driver, stopped at the stop bar will be located no less than 4' (1.2 metres) in advance of the stop bar. The signal heads of the pedestrian signal, facing southbound traffic on Falls Avenue, will be installed at a height of 16' - 0' (4.9 m), and at a point 50' (15 metres) downstream of the stop bar. Reference: Transportation Association of Canada - Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Canada - Fourth Edition. Southbound traffic will be provided with a minimum of one pdmary treffic signal head, on the right and one secondary head, on the left, in the median. · The primary signal head will be supported by a mast-arm, and will be located over the midpoint of the curb lane. City staff has investigated the required stopping sight distance for a pedestrian signal at this location, based on their own set of design assumptions and parameters, and satisfied themselves that it is adequate. A design height-of-eye for a commercial vehicle driver (best-case scenario) is 6' - 11' (2.1 metres). A design height-of-eye for a passenger vehicle ddver (worst- case scenario) is 3'-6"' (1.05 metres). Reference: Transportation Association of Canada - Geometric Design Guide for Canadian Roads - 1999 Edition. Using this information, a scaled representation of the relative placement of the sign, the traffic signal display, and an approaching driver's point-of-view was constructed. Refer to Exhibit A. SynecUcs Transportation Consultants Inc. October 2001 I.- -t- Proposed "Hard Rock Caf~' Projecting ~ - 5685 Falls Avenue, Niagara Fails Investigation of Potential Road User Safety Concerns Raised by City Staff Page 13 Obsewations: The following observations were drawn based on the scaled representation constructed: The aforementioned assumptions will result in an arrangement where the pdmary traffic signal display will be located upstream - in front of - the Hard Rock Cafb sign, when viewed from the perspective of an approaching southbound driver. The difference in location is approximately 14' (4.25 metres). This arrangement makes it impossible for the sign to physically eclipse the traffic signal display in any fashion, from the perspective of a southbound driver. The differential in height between the two devices (measured from the roadway surface to the bottom of each device) is 7'-6'(based on a height of 16'-0' for the signal display and 23'-6' for the sign). This places the traffic signal display "below' the sign, from the perspective of an approaching southbound ddver. A passenger vehicle stopped at the proposed stop bar - with its attendant lower ddver's height-of-eye - represents potentially the worst-case scenado for superimposing the pdmar~ traffic signal display on top of the sign, from a southbound drivers' perspective. Commercial vehicle operators, enjoying a higher height-of-eye, have a viewing advantage over passenger vehicle ddvers in this circumstance. Night-time viewing, when the sign is illuminated against a dark background, is also a component of the worst-case scenario, as the conspicuity of the traffic control device, and pedestrians within the crossing becomes more critical. Despite the more acute angle of view, the scaled representation indicates that the pdmaq/ traffic control signal display will at no time appear superimposed over the Hard Rock Caf~ sign to a passenger car driver located at, or anywhere in advance of, the stop bar at the pedest#an crossing. At any point up to the stop bar, the display will appear in front of, and below the sign, to a southbound driver. Conclusion: The Hard Rock Caf~ sign, as proposed, will not physically obscure an approaching southbound ddver's view of the pdmary traffic signal display at the proposed pedestrian signal. Synectics Transportation Consul[ants Inc. October 2001 Community Services Department Municipal Works - Traffic and Parking Services Inter-Departmental Memorandum To: Ed Dujlovic, October 19, 2001 Director of Municipal Works From: Karl Dren Manager of Traffic & Parking Services Extension 4509 Subject: Proposed Hard Rock Cafe' Sign Projecting Sign 5685 Falls Avenue - Synectics Transportation Consultants Report I have reviewed the Proposed Hard Rock Cafe' Projecting Sign Report prepared by Synectics, and offer the following comments: l) On page 3 the consultant states as follows: "Our understanding of the physical and cognitive aspects of human performance in the driving task is incomplete.". Therefore, I would surmise that the human factors concerning signs overhanging the road is left to subjective analysis and appears to be the basis oftbe report. 2) The report lacks in identifying that other municipalities in Ontario/CanadaJNorth America that allow permanent advertising signs to overhang the traveled portion of the road. 3) The report falls to address this proposed sign installation related to the Ontario Traffic Manual regarding recommended practices and requirements. 4) The consultant has not identified other Hard Rock Cafe sign installations (such as Las Vegas and Tokyo) that overhang the traveled portion of the road. 5) The report fails to address the impacts of the drivers traveling in the northbound direction as well. 6) The consultant makes general statements about high traffic and pedestrian volumes and has not addressed the operational characteristics in detail, that exist out there today. Case in point, our records indicate that there have been 32 collisions in the past 3 and half years. Issues such as safe stopping distances, the uncontrolled inovement of pedestrian that traverse Falls Avenue throughout its length, etc. need to be addressed. 7) The report states that the signs related to the Hershey and Planet Hollywood operation justify this sign, however the fact is that the large Hershey Kiss is situated on top of the building and the Planet Hollywood sign is set back well away from the traveled portion of the road. Hard Rock Cafe signs already exist on the side of the building. Wor~ino Together to Serve Oar Commanit~ -2- 8) The potential installation of future overhead sign structures may be compromised by this sign installation. 9) Should the City approve the sign, the applicant will be required to apply for a sign permit from the Ministry of Transportation. The installation of this sign will set a dangerous precedent with regards to allowing future installation of advertising signs that overhang the traveled road allowance. I would suggest that this sign be installed either on top of the building or on the side of the building. Finally, because this request requires a more detailed review by Staff(and a City Consultant) and a response by Synectics, I would suggest that this matter be deferred until the October 29, 2001 Council Meeting. I trust this information is satisfactory.