The Town of Banff is investigating higher standards for construction fencing, including the possibility of incorporating public art to make ugly construction sites more visually pleasing.
At a meeting Monday (Oct. 26), council directed administration to develop incentives for the incorporation of temporary public artworks at development sites with construction site fence hoarding.
In addition, it also directed town bureaucrats to develop a policy establishing design and development standards for construction site fence hoarding at all commercial and large-scale development sites.
Officials say many communities are providing incentives, such as waiving some developers’ levies, to encourage developers to do more with their construction fencing, including public art.
“Right now the minimum standard is a two-metre high fence,” said Town of Banff planner Keith Batstone. “We feel there’s an opportunity to create a carrot-type situation for developers to go from plain plywood to something beyond that.”
Banff’s existing construction site hoarding standards only address height, location and colour.
No incentives or standards are provided for artistic enhancements to construction site fence hoarding, and all proposals are dealt with on an ad-hoc, case-by-case basis by the planning and development department.
Councillor Stavros Karlos voiced support for both recommendations, but would like to see a policy come back that allows developers some creativity.
“We spent additional money to do nicer hoarding for Park Distillery. We did incorporate some public art without advertising, and I have to be honest, it wasn’t that much more expensive,” he said.
“Arctos and Bird on Bear Street is another example that was very well done. It creates some animation on the streetscape when you have a big hole in the ground.”
Mayor Karen Sorensen said she likes the idea of incorporating public art into fence hoarding, but it would need to be optional for the developer in order to have her support.
“I don’t want to even suggest that everyone has to do this. I would suggest incorporating public art at a development site would have to remain optional for all developers,” she said.
“I love the idea of incentives. It sounds like fun and the right thing to do, but a true incentive does not add more costs.”
Banff’s community art committee researched contemporary approaches that have led to incorporation of public art into construction site fence hoarding in Banff and other jurisdictions, such as Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver, as well as London, England, and Sydney, Australia.
Batstone said the art committee found the municipalities and professional art organizations reported evidence of favourable public perceptions towards artistic additions into construction sites.
“Planning and development is of the opinion a construction hoarding policy would visually enhance construction sites in Banff and improve visitor experience, pedestrian mobility and public safety,” he said.
