Puslinch Township officials like the idea of a gas station and two restaurants on the east side of Brock Road, just north of Highway 401, but disagreed last week on the signs for the development.
David Jassal, who owns the three-acre property (once home to a Shell gas station), has proposed for the site a new Petro-Canada gas station, as well as A&W and Subway restaurants.
Seymore Gan, project manager with Cole Engineering Group, said all three establishments will be located in one building, so his client is seeking an exemption from the sign bylaw to allow two 25-foot-high signs on the property.
Gan explained the A&W sign measures 14 square metres, while the gas station and Subway sign will be almost 20 square metres – both far larger than the town’s permitted maximum of 9 square metres.
Councillor Dick Visser sees no real problem with the signs and is glad to see the land developed. But councillors Don McKay and Matthew Bulmer seemed to have more concerns about the development.
McKay asked if all three businesses could be included on one sign. Jassal replied such a sign would be enormous. He added the A&W sign is unique and he is proposing the smaller of two Petro-Canada signs.
McKay said he is also concerned about the number of signs on the building itself – five, including the sides – and noted Ren’s Pet Depot had to have an exemption for just two. But Clerk Brenda Law noted that was for one business, and Jassal’s proposal is for three separate companies. Bulmer asked if it’s possible to ask the companies about another option for signage.
“I just don’t want to close the door to doing something better,” Bulmer said, adding he does not want Brock Road turning into “the typical golden mile,” like Highway 24 through Cambridge. He explained the township is trying to make the corridor look as nice as possible through development guidelines.
“We’ll try to do our best,’ Jassal replied, indicating he would approach the companies but was not making any promises. Bulmer asked about the possibility of including parking for the high volume of truck traffic in the area.
“I can see it being a problem … the last thing we want is trucks parking farther down the road,” Bulmer said.
Jassal replied there is not enough room on the site to accommodate truck traffic, nor is it economically viable to do so.
Mayor Brad Whitcombe seemed confused by the concerns of McKay and Bulmer.
“What are you trying to achieve?” he asked. “I rather like the design of the A&W sign.” He does not foresee the companies changing the style or size of either sign.
Gan said he and Jassal would work with the township and county and would also ask A&W and Petro-Canada about alternative signs.
