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.  

 

A year ago, following a meeting about Window World’s signage, Gargan said he researched how other towns handle signage exceptions and found that most municipalities address changes, variations or deviations from sign regulations through a special permit rather than a variance.

 

Currently, the bylaws are poorly defined and have vague language, Gargan said. 

 

The current bylaw generally limits businesses to one exterior sign, up to 16 square feet for buildings with up to 40 feet of frontage, plus 2 square feet for every additional 5 feet, up to a maximum of 32 square feet, and may not rise more than two feet above the eave line.

 

Standing signs are prohibited unless the Zoning Board of Appeals determines that a property's use, architecture, or location relative to the street makes one appropriate in the public interest.

 

When an exception is made, the ZBA sets the sign's size, height, type, and location, and may impose other conditions it deems necessary. Approved signs may not exceed 32 square feet.

 

Additionally, the bylaw restricts signs to being illuminated only by steady, shielded light aimed directly at the sign, unless it's for a time-and-temperature display. Signs are not allowed to flash, move, or make noise.

 

Window neon signage is permitted, but limited to 10 percent of the window's total area, with a maximum of six square feet.

 

Exterior neon signage is also allowed, provided the business obtains a special permit and complies with the same size and placement standards as other signs. Additionally, it may not be used to advertise a nationally or regionally branded product or service.

 

Gargan presented the board with two options: a short-term solution that would be voted on at a special town meeting or a comprehensive revision to be voted on at the annual town meeting.

 

The town is having a Special Town Meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30th at the Memorial Building Gymnasium, located at 30 Columbia Street. 

 

The Select Board is scheduled to sign the warrant at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, meeting the required 14-day notice period for the Special Town Meeting. However, that timeline does not leave the board enough time to send its proposed short-term solution to the Planning Board and hold the required public hearing.

 

Board members indicated they are more likely to continue working on the longer-term revision, with the goal of sending it to the Planning Board and holding a public hearing in time for the annual town meeting.