By Adam Hickman
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign.
A community group wants the McDonald’s restaurant on Elgin Street to reduce its 42-square-foot golden arches.
Marie Keasay, member of the Centretown Citizens’ Community Association (CCCA), says the group sent McDonald’s a letter last week asking them to conform with the rest of Elgin Street and reduce the size of their sign.
“The way it is illuminated makes it stand out. It’s overkill on a small street. The sign is almost bigger than the store itself,” says Keasay.
The sign is not new to Elgin Street. The Party Palace restaurant, which went bankrupt last year, raised the sign. When McDonald’s moved into the location in February, they decided to keep it.
The sign is bright red, and at night glows a neon yellow.
McDonald’s official Rob Chiasson wants to find out why the CCCA raised the issue before commenting further.
Jim Denyer, the city plans examiner for sign permits, says the sign is legal.
“The bylaw permits them to change the face, but not alter the structure,” says Denyer.
The city issued the sign permit in 1955, before Ottawa enacted its original sign by-law in 1962. Denyer says as long as the structure stays the same, the 42-square-foot McDonald’s sign doesn’t have to fit to current regulations.
Currently, businesses on Elgin are allowed to raise signs no larger than six square feet. But, Denyer says the city is working on a new bylaw for 1998, which might raise the limit to 21.5 square feet.
Some Elgin Street businesses support the community association’s lead.
“I fully agree. That big ‘M’ should go,” says Claire Lowry, supervisor of The Ritz.
Joe Eyamie, owner of Swagman Jack’s, wants the sign gone because it gives his competition an unfair edge.
Eyamie says the law should be changed to force new owners, like McDonald’s, to follow laws applying to the rest of the street. He says McDonald’s won’t take the sign down.
“Would you? That’s worth a lot of money to them. It’s the best advertising you can get. ”
But Monique Warrack, owner of Christmas in the Capital, says the fight is a double standard.
“The sign was there before and nobody wanted it changed. Now just because it’s McDonald’s people want them to change. It’s not fair.”
But Keasay says the old Party Palace sign didn’t stand out the way McDonald’s does.
David Gladstone, CCCA member, says some residents feel the sign is out of sync.
“The Party Palace showed this to be a neighborhood street,” he says. “The same sized McDonald’s sign gives a different message.”
Other businesses aren’t bothered by the sign’s size.
Terry Donovan, owner of Scrim’s Florist, agrees with Flemming. He says other signs on Elgin Street are as big and colorful, pointing at the green and white TD Bank sign across the street.
Keasay says she’s uncertain how McDonald’s will react but says the corporation tends to be community minded and hopes they will at least consider taking down the sign.
If they don’t, she’ll raise the issue at the upcoming Nov. 18 Elgin Street Study workshop focussing on streetscaping.