All signs point to approval for the proposed lit signage for the Rochester Crossroads LLC commercial development off Cranberry Highway.
Members of the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals on September 25 considered the special permit request presented by Lisa Mann of Sign Design, Inc. of Brockton for five proposed signs, with one of them being an LED face-lit main pylon sign visible from Interstate 495 southbound.
Mann said that after the Colbea Enterprises, LLC ZBA hearing to approve their proposed signage, the plan was scaled back slightly in order to preemptively conciliate some of the same concerns the board had with Colbea and its face-lit and halo-lit signage.
The sign of most concern for the board and to abutter Louise Hebert of 167 County Road was a 20-foot high face-lit sign by the entrance that will list the future tenants at the Rochester Crossroads development. Hebert said her property is already lit up on one side by a preexisting neon light.
“Now we’re going to be lit up on this side because of this and the gas station,” said Hebert. “How lit up are we going to be?”
Mann said setbacks could be adjusted if needed, but Rochester Crossroads is seeking to put up the main pylon sign visible off Interstate 495 sooner, rather than later, in order to attract prospective commercial tenants.
Currently, Rochester only has one larger face-lit sign in town at Lloyd’s Market on Hartley Road.
The problem with too many signs is, said ZBA Chairman Richard Cutler, “Once you start putting signs everywhere, no one reads them anymore.”
Cutler wondered if turning the lit signs down or off when businesses are closed could mitigate the light pollution to the surrounding residential zone.
“We could certainly make that a condition or a point of discussion before sign [usage] is granted,” said Mann.
ZBA member Davis Sullivan asked if the amount of light emitted and the total affected area could be studied. Mann stressed that the halo-lit lighting would mitigate light pollution, having a softer glow, and Cutler again emphasized that having the lights turned off after business hours was “a big deal.”
Cutler stated that he did not see any reason why the board could not make a decision at the next meeting, leaving Mann a little time to deliver more information about the light emission amounts before then.
“If I could have my way there wouldn’t be any signs anywhere,” said Cutler.
Also at the meeting, the board approved a 15-foot variance for Philip and Jessica Whittaker of 281 Neck Road to build a 16-foot by 26-foot addition in order to accommodate their growing family and add a master bathroom.
Cutler commented on how the developers built the house in such a location that would inhibit future expansion of the property, which now requires a setback variance.
The board found the hardship it was looking for in the layout of the house, the location of the septic system, and the shape of the property that left no other location to build the addition, before approving the request.
In other matters, the board granted a special permit to Richard and Lynnette Torres of 157 Pine Street to convert their house from a single-family to a multi-family and build a 26-foot by 36-foot in-law suite behind the existing garage. Board member Kirby Gilmore suggested adding a condition that the new addition must remain a one-bedroom apartment, and the board approved the request.
The next scheduled meeting of the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals is October 9 at 7:00 pm at the Town Hall.
By Jean Perry
