King St. Dunkin Sign Approved Along with Several Others

The Design Review Commission met on Monday, Sept. 13 with a lengthy list of matters before it.

7:00 PM Dunkin Donuts – 490 King Street - Continued Install new signs

Having been before the Commission a number of times, this visit was the charm....The applicant had sought to update the existing signage to conform to new corporate branding. Since the existing sign preceded the sign bylaw, there was some question regarding whether this was simply a replacement, which would have been “grandfathered” or in fact new signage. Also at issue was how to measure signs to ensure they conform. With the applicant working hard to conform to the requests of the Commission, even though there were some issues that remained ambiguous, the Commission voted to approve the sign package as submitted.

7:05 PM V&H Beauty Corporation dba Milky Way Nails & Spa -452 W. Central Street New sign face – same as existing

In this instance, even though the intention was to replace one sign with another, the Commission indicated a wish to discuss the application with the business owner – but no one was present, so they moved on to the next matter.

7:10 PM Enl’air Dance – 1256 W. Central Street Install sign panels and 3D logo

This matter elicited some discussion by the Commissioners regarding the color scheme planned, since the illustrations as submitted did not appear to be black. The sign vendor assured Commissioners that they were in fact black. In the course of the discussion, it was also brought out that two other businesses at the location appear to have unapproved signs in place. In the end, the Commissioners voted to approve the sign package with the stipulation that the agreed color scheme be included in the approval. Presumably the businesses with non-conforming signs will be contacted by the building inspector.

7:15 PM Canna Klean – 852 Upper Union Street Install sign cabinets.

This matter sailed through with little discussion.

7:20 PM NETA – 162 Grove Street Install upper cabinet.

Here, the applicant was concerned that without the additional signage requested, those driving by wouldn’t know what kind of business they were passing. The Commission reviewed the colors and the design and voted to approve the package.

7:25 PM Residence Inn by Marriott – 4 Forge Pkwy Update existing signs with new logo design.

Much like the Dunkin situation on King Street, this applicant was updating existing, non-conforming signage with new logos, etc. Here, again, the applicant and commissioners sought information on clarity regarding existing signage, dimensions, and consensus on how regulated sign areas should be measured. In this instance, the Commission voted to continue the matter to their next meeting, Sept. 27.

7:30 PM Plansee USA Headquarters – 115 Constitution Blvd Addition to add 1 Floor Office component of existing facility, new building work and signage to be compliant with zoning requirements.

This final matter of the evening involved a modest expansion, adding offices to an existing industrial building, and adding a new “monument”-style sign to the property. The Commission seemed open to the concepts presented by the applicant but asked for further graphics and descriptions before making a decision. The Commission voted to continue this matter to the 27th, as well.

The Commission then reviewed and approved minutes from their prior meeting and had a general discussion about the Commission’s work. The Chair noted that he recently learned that Bob's Discount Furniture had been put up pretty large sign in Franklin Village and apparently did not come to Design Review first. The company has acknowledged that they neglected that step in the process and are going to come before us, retroactively now and to review the package.