The majority of council has agreed to allow Askew’s Foods’ uptown store to place a sign on private property next to the Trans-Canada Highway.
At city council’s May 13 meeting, owner David Askew told council that signage has loomed large for him in the past few months, because the new store isn’t recognizable as a super market.
He said he has tried to create a building that suited the site, with glass, a curved structure, and one that is sunken down so it preserves the viewscape.
“People report that they can’t tell if it’s a supermarket and if it’s open or not,” he said, adding that he wanted to wait until the building was in place to figure out what signage made sense.
He noted that if highway traffic misses the turn-off for the store, they can’t head back until they reach the Jackson campus of Salmon Arm Secondary.
“If you’re Overwaitea or Save-On, everyone knows what it is. We have a bit more of an informational campaign.”
Kevin Pearson, the city’s director of development services, said he thinks this is the first time the city has received a request to install an information sign. The sign, which would be on property owned by Shell and the Mac’s store, would be on the grassy area next to the highway and would be in the shape of an arrow with ‘Askew’s Foods’ printed on it.
Couns. Debbie Cannon and Chad Eliason were opposed.
Cannon asked if this would be “opening a can of worms for people to put signs on private property along the highway?”
Pearson said it could, as anyone can come to council. He said bylaw restrictions mean a sign can’t exceed one-metre square, and just one sign per business is allowed per lot.
Eliason asked about getting one of the highways signs that lists different adjacent businesses.
Askew said that even if he were to get permission for such a sign, he doesn’t think it would be effective in getting people’s attention for turning.
Coun. Ken Jamieson said he thinks the proliferation of signs has already begun.
“Why should we not help him out so people coming down the road can turn into his store?”
Coun. Marg Kentel said council can deal with each request individually.
Coun. Alan Harrison agreed, noting this is a unique situation.
Both Coun. Denise Reimer and Mayor Nancy Cooper said the building is an asset to the town and they are willing to help out.