Hello Councillor __________l: Please note I am in agreement of the DRAFT SIGN BYLAW as is other then an amendment required for the one small section regarding Real Estate Open House Direction Signs Page 16 Section 15-13 It is my opinion it would be beneficial that a clear amendment be created for residents regarding ALL directional signs.
BACKGROUND: I was sent the following e-mail last week by town staff; _________________ stated in an e-mail; “I will forward your concerns to the building department. ……………… It’s too bad that no one commented on this before now.”
If nothing is done for this one section of the bylaw it will be like this for another decade or more when the sign bylaw is reviewed again. A number of my suggestions have been implemented within the draft that I am thankful for but for some reason I discussed this with staff but forgot to put it in writing over the last year, other then last week.
I don’t see a specific section within the draft to make it easy for residents to understand regarding Temporary Directional signage other then Real Estate Open House Signs? Why? This signage is one that is most abused within our neighbourhoods / town. Residents are left to clean them up. Example: About seven years ago I called a resident to remind him to remove his GARAGE sale sign that was held and posted three weeks prior on the streetlight post in front of my property. He was far from polite when I called … I had to remove it myself. Does this mean there should be NO directional signs posted within our town accept Real Estate Open House Signs? I’m certain that is not the intent. You know this will not happen. When I state direction signs, the most common are; Yard Sale, Garage Sale, Art Sale, Event (anniversary, concert, party, … ) Our Town will not be able to stop residents from erecting these signs but they maybe able to control where and when they are posted, how they are posted, and when they should be removed. It’s terrible when people are nailing these signs to our trees or tie them with wire to a tree and the wire is still around it and grows into the tree, decapitating the tree “X” years later.
Maybe parts of the following proposed amendment for Real Estate Open House Signs can be included to make it clear for our residents! One question to ask is how many people have staff actually charged last year regarding directional signs? My guess would be zero. I think our Town / Region just pick the signs up along with all the bag signs that contractors are putting up. (roofers, paving, landscaping, pot lights, … )
AMENDMENT for Real Estate Open House Directional Signs: The following is what I’m suggesting for numerous reasons … safety, visual pollution … there is no reason Real Estate Open House signs need to be placed throughout our town when it is not during the actual time of the Open House. This revision would cover not just licensed Brokerages, REALTORS®, but also residents who may want to sell or lease a property themselves. Should builders / developers be allowed special treatment for their directional signs? Yes, I believe so … as long as they are posted only during weekends and picked up before dusk Sunday. Also it should be noted: Most licensed REALTORS® post an Open House sign on the top of the Real Estate sign that is posted on the lawn. Example: OPEN HOUSE Sun 1- 4 Personally, I post the Open House on over 2K Websites including www.Realtor.ca, TREB, plus Rogers Real Estate Television, e-mails to other REALTORS®, customers / clients who are looking, …
Max Size: 0.5 sq m (we have this)
Type: Open House directional signs shall include the address of the property for sale or lease plus include the DATE and TIME of the Open House.
Number: Max of SIX open house directional signs. (REASON; most people coming to an open house know the address already, with smart phones, GPS, it is my opinion on most properties you really don’t require more then four signs to make it easy for the consumer to navigate to the property.)
Location: Open house directions signs can be placed on the public road allowance excluding any centre median, traffic island or centre boulevard within the road allowance. Shall not be located closer then 0.3 meters from the pedestrian sidewalk and from the vehicular travelled portion of the road. Open House directional signs shall not be affixed to a utility pole, tree, official sign or other public property.
Duration: Open house directional signs may only be displayed no earlier then two hours before the beginning stated time posted on the Open House sign and must be removed within two hours after the open house time stated on the sign or before dusk what ever comes sooner.
I do hope this makes things clearer for you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I did hear back from the following councillors in order: Councillors Gaertner, Humfryes, Thompson, Kim, Pirri, Dawe Councillor Gaertner was the only councillor that spoke on this subject at the council meeting.
As an aside, did you know not one of our Town Directors lives in Aurora.
There is no definition for Open House signs. Limited period of time 24HRS Real Estate signs are really not an issue. Realtors are mindful of placing and retreiving their signs. Real Estate Signs in my opinion are not a hug concern. Garage sale signs are not really an issue. We do not receive complaints.
REALLY? Well, I tried. The bylaw will come back in the fall to review fees. If you have any concerns regarding fee structures and temporary signs you will be able to voice them before then to your councillors.
Temporary signs, in my opinion, make our area look junky and can be a safety concern depending on the size of the sign and where it is placed. Example: Blocking your view of a pedestrian or vehicle. We are often left to discard these signs when they are forgotten and/or damaged. If you see "ANY" temporary signs such as the home improvment signs within the slideshow mentioned at the top of this article, they are illegally posted and you have every right to remove them. If you see anyone posting these signs, take a picture if you can of the person(s) installing them including the vehicle and licence number. Then contact the town ASAP so these people can be caught. They will be requested to remove all their signage throughout the town and maybe given a fine.