Amendment to Section 7.00 of the Town's Zoning By-Law -- Sign By-law

Annual Town Meeting, May 2018

This article is being submitted by the Planning and Community Development Department in an effort to further improve administration of Section 7.00 of the Town's Zoning By-law pertaining to signs. In recent years, the Planning Board has seen an increase in Design Review applications for sign types that are not clearly defined in the Zoning By-law. Additionally, the mechanics of the current by-law unnecessarily complicate the Planning Board's aesthetic review of signs, particularly on new and renovated buildings, because certain regulations are overly restrictive, and in some cases, it is unclear what is allowed in specific zoning districts. There have been several instances where applicants have proposed signs the Planning Board supports; however, the applicant must obtain one or more variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals in order to proceed with the Planning Board's supported design. Lack of clear definitions and unclear regulations are confusing to applicants and makes it difficult for staff and the Planning Board to apply the regulations consistently to all Design Review applications. As a result, more staff time than should be necessary is required to administer the by-law and the Planning Board's ability to facilitate the best possible design outcome is limited.

The proposed changes would:
1. Clearly define the various sign types the Planning Board most commonly regulates;
2. Update the mechanics of the By-law to make it clearer what is permitted in specific zoning districts;
3. Give the Planning Board more discretion with respect to sign locations, sizes and number of signs;
4. Shift zoning relief that directly relates to design from a Variance to a Special Permit that requires a positive recommendation from the Planning Board in order for the Zoning Board of Appeals to grant requested relief.