Town of Lenox
Planning Board
October 18, 2011
Land Use Meeting Room
Members present: Chair Joseph A. Kellogg, JK; Vice Chair Steve Sample, SS; and Kate McNulty-Vaughan, KMV (arrived at 7:15 pm).
Members absent: Gary Schiff, GS; and Mark S. Smith, MS.
Staff present: Mary Albertson, Town Planner, MA
The meeting could not be called to order at 6:30 pm due to the lack of a quorum with KMV not arriving until 7:15 pm.
Informal discussion was held, but no decisions were made or votes taken. .
Public Participation Session on Sign Regulation Review: JK opened the session at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall Auditorium and introduced Board members and the Town Planner. He said that the Board understands the need for a revision of the sign regulations and noted that the purpose of this session is to listen to comments and concerns. JK further stated that the Board’s goal is to improve the sign regulations, however cautioned that they will never be perfect. The current plan is to remove the existing regulations in their entirety and replace them with a completely new document. He asked that participants tell the Board both what is positive about the existing regulations as well as the negatives. It was noted that the Board’s initial focus will be on the village business
district with hopes of presenting a revised bylaw to voters at a spring Special
Town Meeting. This timeline could shift if additional work is needed. The Board is going into this process with an open mind and will craft new regulations based on the input it receives from the public participation sessions as well as research into how other communities deal with this issue. JK noted that this session is the second such meeting seeking comment with the first having been held on October 11th. At that session, the Board heard that people want clear guidelines, not set in concrete, simple and easy to administer. They also want signs that are allowed by-right which are permitted by the Building Department without the need to attend night meetings for Board approval. JK then opened the meeting to public comment
Ken Fowler, President of the Lenox Chamber of Commerce, asked about the Historic District Commission’s (HDC) involvement in this review process. JK noted the HDC was invited to this meeting, however only SS and Ken Fowler were present. He said that the Board will work with the HDC to make the Zoning bylaw and guidelines compatible.
Jim Terry, of Villager Gifts, discussed the development of the Historic District and said that when the Historic District was adopted, it was to position the Town for potential grant funding. He questioned the need for the Historic District and the ability to coordinate the bylaws and the guidelines.
SS said that he has served on the HDC for many years, including in the 1990’s and noted that signs take an enormous amount of the HDC’s time. He thinks signs can be better managed through zoning.
Tony Simotes, Artistic Director at Shakespeare and Company, thanked the Board for taking on this task. He said that the village is a hodgepodge of styles and stressed the need to be flexible and to encourage the unique features of each business. He suggested that technology has
advanced such that there are many ways that signs can be beautiful and reflect the creativity of the business. As an example, he suggested special lighting for opening nights at Shakespeare. He concluded by saying that he thinks the village banners are beautiful and should be encouraged for businesses.
Ralph Petillo, Director of the Lenox Chamber of Commerce, said that we must recognize the needs for signs because we are a tourist community. He suggested Chatham and Newburyport as good examples. He thinks business owners will do the right thing and should be granted greater discretion. He used Glad Rags as an example of an established village business that can be trusted to come up with appropriate signage based on standard size regulations.
Tina Tartaglia, of Prime & Berkshire Yogurt, said the problem is not the number of permanent signs that are allowed, but the lack of provisions for temporary and/or accessory signs. She suggested greater flexibility for window signs. She stressed the need to allow for signs that let businesses advertise changing information.
Discussion ensued regarding the need for temporary signs. Some suggested that each business be allowed to have one permanent sign and one temporary sign. Others suggested the need for business directory signs. KMV noted the need for fairness. Everyone agreed they did not want a kiosk. SS said he has talked with Jeff Vincent, DPW Director, who confirmed that those directional signs removed during the village reconstruction project will be replaced.
Lynn West, of Glad Rags, suggested that the Board review sign regulations for neighboring communities such as Lee, Stockbridge and Great Barrington. She used Lee as an example where she was drawn into one of the new shops in Lee because of a display on a sandwich sign. She said that sandwich signs are common in New York City and do not seem to create safety concerns. She also suggested the Cakewalk Bakery in Lee as an example of a business that has interesting and effective directional signs.
Jim Terry, of Villager Gifts, shared a recent comment he received from local sign companies. When he approached sign companies about replacing his worn-out signs, he was advised that you don’t want to open that can of worms in Lenox. Discussion ensued regarding the need to make the regulations business friendly.
JK acknowledged the Board has a lot of work to do and said this will likely be a long process. The next step will be to craft a draft bylaw and offer it to the public for review and comment at public participation meetings. He said the Board will propose bylaw revisions at a Special Town Meeting, hopefully in the spring, but stressed that the timetable will be extended if additional pubic input is needed. He thanked everyone for their thoughtful comments and input and encouraged attendees to sign the sign-in sheet.
SS made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:45pm. ~KMV seconded the motion and the Board voted 3-0 to approve. ~
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Albertson
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