An almost 18-metre high sign slated for the Sea to Sky Business Park will not be setting up anytime soon.
Council voted against a development variance permit for the water-tower themed sign at its special business meeting Tuesday night – council’s last meeting before its one-month long summer break.
Mayor Patricia Heintzman and councillors Jason Blackman-Wulff, Karen Elliott and Susan Chapelle opposed the sign.
“This sets a very big precedent,” said Heintzman. “Every other land owner along that area will want something this big and we will have a real challenge.”
Other councillors were concerned with the safety of having a high tower and with the prospect of having the sign lit 24 hours a day.
The variance was to exceed the allowed height of 10.7 metres. The sign would have stood about seven metres above the business park and read “Sea to Sky Business Park.”
The Sea to Sky Business Park is a 20-acre master planned multi-phased project by the Solterra Group of Companies.
Back in 2013, the developers revealed that to draw attention to the new business park, an industrial water tower sign, based on historic designs that would have served Squamish’s railway back in the day, was planned.
The sign was to be located at the corner of Discovery and Commercial ways.
Six of the business park’s current tenants sent letters of support to council prior to Tuesday’s meeting.
Councillors Doug Race, Ted Prior and Peter Kent voted to approve the sign.
Race said that the sign was part of the original plan that was approved by a previous council, and turning it down would be moving the goal posts.
“Essentially, from my perspective, form and character were determined by the last council,” he said.
