Osmow’s restaurant will keep its roof sign facing Tower Street

CENTRE WELLINGTON — The little guys need equal footing, said Centre Wellington Coun. Stephen Kitras.

Kitras argues that corporations get signs so small businesses should also.

“All the corporations can have high signs and they seem to pass when they get their building permits and stuff like that. But this is a small business and small business need all the help they can get. So I am for allowing this sign, only on Tower Street though,” Kitras said.

The Osmow’s shawarma restaurant in question is at 840 Tower St. S. in Fergus. They appealed to have a roof mounted sign facing Tower Street but ditched an effort to have a sign facing McQueen Boulevard that they had applied for earlier.

At the end of the day, the sign facing Tower Street is allowed.

Committee of Adjustment member Chantalle Pellizzari, explained the brief history of the issue. That Osmow’s put up a roof sign facing Tower Street and then applied to have that sign as well as a second sign facing McQueen Boulevard. Both signs were not allowed.

There “was a variance to allow two roof mounted signs, one of which has already been installed. At the hearing of the Committee of Adjustment, on July 21st, 2022 the committee refused the application as requested. As per the township sign bylaw, the applicant does have the right to appeal the decision to the council,” Pellizzari said.

Pragnesh Patel, co-owner of the restaurant, said Osmow’s will not have a sign facing McQueen Boulevard that will shine in houses.

“We had a gentleman complain about the light facing to his house. So we are not pursuing that sign. But we are hoping that we get allowed to have the sign that is facing the Tower Street,” Pragnesh Patel said.

Mayor Kelly Linton reasoned that since Country Dental, a few doors down, got a roof mounted sign, a precedent has been started and so Osmow’s should be allowed a sign also.

“We need to be consistent and allow Osmow’s to have the same roof mounted sign, especially with what our director of planning and development has told us, they’ll still have to go through that process. They’ll still have to be making sure structurally it’s safe. With that check in mind, I think they need the sign much more than Country Dental needed their additional sign. So to be consistent, I think it is up to this council to allow this front sign to go ahead,” Linton said.

Jesse Gault is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.