For Hadley Planning Board proposal, all signs point to more farmland
BY Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer
Published on February 16, 2007
HADLEY - Save an acre of farmland in town and get a larger commercial sign.
That's one element of a transfer of development rights bylaw proposal being crafted by the town's Planning Board that is designed to streamline the site plan approval process and offer businesses the opportunity to install signs bigger than the current 64-square-foot limit.
Planning Board Clerk Bill Dwyer said the idea of the bylaw, which would come before Town Meeting in May, is to allow businesses that are set farther off the road, such as stores at the malls, to have a process by which they could ask for a larger-than-allowed sign.
"We've been talking about a proportionality bylaw for some time," Dwyer said.
The bylaw would only cover businesses undergoing, or subject to, site plan review that are outside the village overlay district. This would be at the sole discretion of the Planning Board. There would be no exceptions, though, to the rules mandating that commercial signs be externally illuminated, made to have a woodlike appearance and use a historic palette of colors.
This, Dwyer said, is to ensure that there "won't be a race for the biggest and brightest."
The bylaw is expected to help businesses seeking signs that are larger than the 64-square-foot limit, as well as those wanting taller signs. Businesses would also have the opportunity to seek more than two signs for their site and be eligible to place those signs on property that is not considered frontage for the site.
"(The bylaw) gives a route for signs to be addressed definitively as part of the site plan approval," Dwyer said.
Like another transfer of development rights bylaw that governs businesses that can't meet the town's rule - 2 square feet of parking for each 1 square foot of commercial space, developers could, with a special permit from the Planning Board, construct the larger signs after they have either purchased the development rights or made a contribution to a fund overseen by the Conservation Commission.
In the past, the only avenue for businesses to get bigger signs has been seeking variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals. This is how Dick's Sporting Goods and Best Buy at the Hampshire Mall got their 256- and 225-square-foot signs, as the Zoning Board determined there was hardship on the businesses because of their distance from the road.
At the time of the decision, then-Chairman Ned Market said the town should have more flexibility in granting larger signs.
The Home Depot planned for the former Montgomery Rose site has also received variances to install bigger signs.
The limit to two commercial signs has also caused controversy, as the Planning Board filed a lawsuit against the Zoning Board and the owners of the Hampton Inn on Bay Road after they were given a variance to put a second sign on the hotel after already having two signs on the property.
As an example of how the new bylaw would work, Dwyer said every 25 percent increase in the size of a sign from 64 square feet would require the purchase of development rights to an acre of farmland. So, if a developer wanted a 256-square-foot sign, or four times the maximum allowed, 8 acres of farmland would have to be purchased, or an amount equivalent to that donated to the town.
