Kelowna Telus asks council to legalize their signs

After displaying illegal signs at one of their Kelowna locations for years, Telus is asking City Council to approve them.

The Telus location found at 2002 Enterprise Way is asking for three fascia signs to be approved which would require the city to adapt four points in the sign bylaw.

The signs were originally installed in 2010 without any permits. In 2011, a bylaw investigation into the issue was stated although the issues of the illegal signs were not resolved.

Since then, the sign graphics have been changed but Telus never sought out the proper permits.

Finally, Telus applied for a building permit to change the signs in 2015, “In an effort to comply with the City bylaws.”

To accommodate their request, the city would have to change the maximum number of signs allowed on the front of buildings from one to two on Enterprise Way (with the third to face Hardy Street) and to allow for much larger signs than they currently do.

Telus is arguing that changing the size of those signs will not compromise any municipal infrastructure and therefore shouldn’t pose a problem.

The signs are currently placed on the second-floor windows and covering a blank, three-storey wall. None of the signs are backlit or LED.

In the area, many other businesses use pylon signage instead, which Telus would be forfeiting use of with this agreement. If it’s not approved, Telus could construct a pylon sign without a building permit.

If approved, the agreement would be valid for two years.

The issue will be discussed at a Tuesday night council meeting Jul. 26.