ADAMS, Mass. — For more than a decade, the Zoning Board has deliberated over several matters involving its "restrictive" sign bylaw. 

 

Now, the board is developing a proposed amendment that would make the bylaw less constraining for businesses while preserving the town’s character and protecting neighboring properties.

 

The current bylaw has been in effect since around 1986, and for the past 10 to 15 years, it has sparked controversy nearly every year when a new sign is proposed for installation in town, said board member David Rhinemiller. 

 

When it was developed in the 1980s, the goal was to preserve the town’s 1950s and 1960s-era character, he said. 

 

As part of the process, the town surveyed residents about their vision for the community, and the overall feedback favored maintaining that aesthetic, which was then reflected in the zoning bylaws, including restrictions on internally illuminated signs, Rhinemiller said. 

 

The board hopes to make the baseline of the bylaw more realistic and acceptable to modern businesses while ensuring it protects the safety and comfort of the surrounding area, board members said.

 

"The way our current bylaws are written, virtually anything that somebody might want to do to change the sign regulations to accommodate their business is subject to meeting the requirements of a variance, which we all know is very difficult to do," board member Raymond Gargan Jr. said.