Burlington Store Coming to Pittsfield
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A national retail clothing store will move into the recently shuttered Staples this summer.
Last week, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved a sign exemption for Burlington Stores, formerly Burlington Coat Factory. This allows the company to place a sign larger than 100 square feet on the space in Berkshire Crossing at 555 Hubbard Ave.
Burlington plans to install a nearly 147-square-foot sign on the storefront that reads "Burlington" with "Deals. Brands. WOW!" underneath. The sign will be internally illuminated by LED lights.
According to its website, the Pittsfield store will open on Aug. 22. In the fall, signs appeared on Staples' front window indicating it would close on Dec. 13.
"We have a hardship. We're tucked back in the corner so there's a visibility issue and we're also working with a logo that was designed in 1982 so, as you can see, there's a lot of negative space," a representative from the retail company said, explaining that it was looking for a little relief from the requirement.
Exemptions were previously granted for non-conforming signage on other storefronts in the 15.3-acre shopping center due to the need for increased visibility from the roadway. Section 6.7 of the sign ordinance allows the sign board (ZBA) to grant up to 50 percent more up to 150 square feet.
Burlington said the need for increased visibility is because of the 900-foot distance between the private road that leads to the store — and even further from Hubbard Avenue.
Currently, the closest stores are in Latham, N.Y., and Springfield. A store in the Holyoke Mall is set to reopen in Holyoke Crossing [the former Bed Bath & Beyond] at the end of February.
The company started as Burlington Coat Factory in New Jersey more than 50 years ago selling off-price coats out of a factory building. Today, Burlington Stores is a nationally recognized off-price retailer with more than 1,000 stores nationwide. It sells low-priced, brand-name ladies, men's, kids/baby apparel and accessories, home décor items, and more.
Tags: ZBA, store opening,
