The downtown entertainment district of Vancouver is about to get more sparkle.

Vancouver city staff are recommending council approval after public hearing of a proposal to double the sizes of two electronic video signs at the northeast corner of Granville and Robson streets.

The owners of the three-storey building at 798 Granville Street want 56-square-metre displays to replace the pair of 28-square-metre signs on the site.

The building owned by Bonnis Properties (Robson) Inc. is home to a Best Buy store and a Winners shop.

According to a city staff report included in the council agenda Tuesday (October 31), the signs are “within the Granville Street entertainment district, where neon and animated signs are encouraged”.

“The Granville Street Sign District encourages signs that compliment Granville’s historic vibrant character, including colourful neon, animated, and electronic signs,” planner Kristen Elkow wrote in the report.

Elkow noted that there are other electronic signs downtown. These include displays at the CBC building at Hamilton and Georgia streets, Terry Fox Plaza and Georgia Viaduct at BC Place, International Village at East Pender and Carroll streets, and place on Canada Place Road at Canada Place.

Bonnis Properties is a family company, with brothers Dino and Kerry as principals. The Bonnis brothers also own the Commodore Ballroom located less than a block south of the 798 Granville Street building.

According to the city staff report, the video signs will be used for advertising. Ten percent of air time will be for public art and community announcements.

The City of Vancouver will administer the public announcements, with an annual contribution of $120,000 from Bonnis Properties.

“The intersection of Granville and Robson is primarily used for pedestrian and bus travel,” according to the report. “Due to the specific circumstances in this area, driver distraction concerns have been assessed and are not expected to be a concern.”

The report noted that concerns were raised at a community open house in February 2017 about the “brightness, size, and potential distractive effects of electronic video”.

According to the report, the new signs will “use LED (light emitting diode) technology, and ambient light sensors to limit power usage and light pollution”.

“The ambient light sensors will be programmed to adjust brightness with daytime and evening conditions, and will be more responsive than the existing older signs,” the report explained.