TOWN OF OLD SAYBROOK
Architectural Review Board
302 Main Street Old Saybrook, Connecticut 06475-1741
Telephone (860) 395-3131 FAX (860) 395-1216
MINUTES
Regular Meeting
Monday, September 26, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Town Hall, 2nd Floor Conference Room
302 Main Street
I. CALL TO ORDER
Acting Chairman, Jonathan Gibbs, called the regular meeting to order at 7:39 p.m.
II. ROLL CALL
Attendant Members Absent Members
Jonathan Gibbs David Wight, Chairman
Kingman Snow Elizabeth Swenson, Vice Chair
Frank Vinciguerra
Guy Pendleton Attendant Staff
Janet Vinciguerra, Recording Clerk
III. OLD BUSINESS
A. “Bessoni Industrial Building” Special Exception, Site Plan, Elevations
90 Ingham Hill Road (Map 35 / Lot 12)
Industrial I-1 District
Applicant: Blue Point Inc. Agent: George Bessoni, Sr.
A representative for Mr. Bessoni informed the Board that the revised plans were not ready. The application was continued until the next regularly scheduled meeting.
IV. NEW BUSINESS
A. “Nissan” Sign
300 Middlesex Turnpike (Map 052 / Lot 074)
Gateway Business B-4 District
Applicant/Agent: Richard Rizzo
Mr. Rizzo informed the board that the existing wall sign totaling 100 sq.ft. will be replaced with a new channel lettering wall sign totaling only 44 sq.ft. The channel lettering of the new sign will be mounted on a raceway which is essentially a bar. Mr. Snow recommended reducing the lighting to 95-watt energy saving bulbs. Mr. Pendleton reminded Mr. Rizzo that the lights should be turned off one (1) hour after the close of business.
MOTION to approve the sign application with the recommendation of reducing the lighting of the sign to 95-watt energy saving bulbs.
MOVED by F. Vinciguerra SECONDED by J. Gibbs
IN FAVOR: J. Gibbs, K. Snow, F. Vinciguerra, and G. Pendleton.
OPPOSED: none. ABSTAINING: none. APPROVED: 4-0-0.
B. “U Store It” Sign
167 Elm Street (Map 39 / Lot 7)
Industrial I-1 District
Applicant: Arnco Sign Co., Inc. Agent: Jeremy Waycott
Mr. Waycott was not present but prior to the meeting requested that the U Store It applications be reviewed without his attendance. His request was granted earlier in the day by Chairman David Wight.
After reviewing the documentation, the Board members determined that the new awning appears to be above the roofline, which is in violation of Zoning Code Section 64.4.2, which states that no sign shall project above the top of the wall of the building. Additionally, the Board would like the backlighting of the awning be reduced. In terms to the street sign, the Board would like to see a landscape plan for the base of the sign. The documentation states that the street sign will be a monument sign but the drawing shows the sign installed with posts. The Board would also like the overall height of the sign to be reduced and the lettering of phone number to be reduced as well.
MOTION to continue the sign application until the next regularly scheduled meeting so that the following items may be addressed:
1) awning should not be attached above the roofline.
2) reduce the brightness of the backlighting of the awning.
3) rectify the discrepancy of the style of the street sign.
4) reduce the lettering of the phone number.
5) reduce the overall height of the street sign.
6) present a landscape plan for the base of the street sign.
MOVED by F. Vinciguerra SECONDED by K. Snow
IN FAVOR: J. Gibbs, K. Snow, F. Vinciguerra, and G. Pendleton.
OPPOSED: none. ABSTAINING: none. APPROVED: 4-0-0.
C. “U Store It” Sign
45 Schoolhouse Road (Map 27 / Lot 0001)
Gateway Business B-4 District
Applicant: Arnco Sign Co., Inc. Agent: Jeremy Waycott
This is a new application to supersede what was previously approved by the Board in July for this same site. The new application calls for an internally illuminated monument sign. Upon review of the new application, the Board members discovered that the existing sign shown is the Mill Rock self-storage which is a different location. The Board decided that this application needs clarification before it can be further reviewed. Additionally, the Board feels that an internally illuminated sign is inappropriate for that section of Schoolhouse Road as there are no other internally illuminated signs in that area.
MOTION to deny the internally illuminated sign on the grounds that there are no other internally illuminated signs in that section of Schoolhouse Road.
MOVED by J. Gibbs SECONDED by F. Vinciguerra
IN FAVOR: J. Gibbs, K. Snow, F. Vinciguerra, and G. Pendleton.
OPPOSED: none. ABSTAINING: none. APPROVED: 4-0-0.
D. “U Store It” Sign
124 Mill Rock Road (Map 041 / Lot 0006)
Industrial I-1 District
Applicant: Arnco Sign Co., Inc. Agent: Jeremy Waycott
The documentation does not state the total height of the sign. The Board would like to see a monument style sign for this location placed closer to the driveway entrance. The location of the sign on the site plan appears to be too close to the road. Additionally, the site plan for this location has the street incorrectly labeled as “Schoolhouse Road.” The Board would like to see a drawing of the sign to scale on the site plan.
MOTION to continue the sign application until the next regularly scheduled meeting so that the following items may be addressed:
1) consider a monument style sign.
2) reduce the overall height of the sign to five (5) feet.
3) rectify the discrepancy of the street name on the site plan.
4) reduce the lettering of the phone number.
5) move the sign closer to the driveway entrance.
6) present a drawing of the sign to scale on the site plan.
MOVED by J. Gibbs SECONDED by G. Pendleton
IN FAVOR: J. Gibbs, K. Snow, F. Vinciguerra, and G. Pendleton.
OPPOSED: none. ABSTAINING: none. APPROVED: 4-0-0.
IV. REGULAR BUSINESS
A. Meeting Minutes
Mr. Gibbs requested that the 9/12/05 minutes be amended to reflect that the Board would like to see low-density lighting for the bays of the storage building on Ingham Hill Road.
MOTION to approve the minutes of 09/12/05 as amended.
MOVED by K. Snow SECONDED by F. Vinciguerra
IN FAVOR: J. Gibbs, K. Snow, G. Pendleton, and F. Vinciguerra.
OPPOSED: none. ABSTAINED: none. APPROVED: 4-0-0.
B. Correspondence - none
C. Committee, Representative & Staff Reports
Mr. Pendleton informed the Board that the Bessoni office building on Old Boston Post Road did not comply with the recommendations of this Board. The Board previously approved the site plan with the recommendation of planting spruce trees along the back property line and Mr. Pendleton reports that white pine trees have been planted.
Also reported is a new sign erected next to Chubby Marcella’s on Main Street that has not been reviewed nor approved by the ARB.
Lastly, the new sign for Knights Inn is not consistent with the monument style sign and masonry base that was previously approved by this Board in March of this year.
V. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION to adjourn the meeting at 9:22 p.m. until the next regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at 7:30 p.m. at the Old Saybrook Town Hall, 2nd Floor Conference Room, 302 Main Street.
MOVED by J. Gibbs SECONDED by K. Snow
IN FAVOR: J. Gibbs, K. Snow, F. Vinciguerra and G. Pendleton.
OPPOSED: none. ABSTAINED: none. APPROVED: 4-0-0.
Respectfully Submitted,
Janet S. Vinciguerra, Recording Clerk
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