LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The planning board discussed reworking the sign bylaw to make it more business-friendly.

 

During a Planning Board meeting in late December, board members discuss crafting a new bylaw that would strike a balance between being business-friendly and respecting residents' concerns. 

 

"And that's why this has become a matter of saying 'how do we fix this?' How do we go from none of it is allowed to let's try slowly bringing something that makes it look like we're a pro-business community," Vice Member Barbara Davis-Hassan said. 

 

Currently, signs are allowed in town via permit and are subject to the permitting process. The bylaw was also not strictly enforced.

 

Last year after receiving many complaints, the building inspector wrote letters to businesses in town in violation of the current bylaw informing them they are not in compliance with the town's zoning bylaw. 

 

Since then, the town has received many complaints and concerns from businesses interested in putting up banners.

 

Planning board members noted that it is important to determine what constitutes a banner versus something like a flag or sign. They also wanted to solidify how many signs a business should be able to have, what dimensions are allowed, and how to best place signs to avoid problems or confusion in the future. 

 

"The zoning bylaws currently say that you shall not have any moving signs and a banner sign actually has the ability to move" Vice Member Barbara Davis-Hassan said during a follow-up meeting.

 

A couple of board members noted that there is a safety component to this discussion because having too many signs can be a distraction to drivers.

 

Board members agreed that more public comment is necessary to determine the fairest way to rework the bylaw, and they plan to reach out to businesses in the area.