Town Meeting on Saturday approved a revised sign bylaw intended to clarify and simplify the town’s approach to business and residential signs.
“After the Economic Development Committee heard from businesses on Ayer Road that an easier-to-understand sign bylaw and slightly larger signs for multi-use parcels would be helpful, the Economic Development Committee proposed a few substantive changes,” said Planning Board member Michelle Catalina.
According to Catalina, Elaine Lazarus, a member of the Economic Development Committee and a professional land use planner, researched other towns’ sign bylaws and offered revisions.
The regulations continue to detail the number and size of signs allowed. They also prohibit flashing, neon, moving, or animated signs, including ones with elements that emit loud noises, are inflatable, or move, such as ribbons or streamers.
“The Planning Board worked closely with the Economic Development Committee to ensure that the signs promoted businesses but still reflected the community’s sense of character,” said Kara McGuire Minar, outgoing Planning Board chair, in an email to the Press.
Although the bylaw limits posting temporary signs to 90 days before and five business days after their events, Town Counsel Mark Lanza assured Town Meeting that real estate signs on property that didn’t sell in 90 days are not restricted. In this case, Lanza said, the qualifying event would be the marketing of the property, which wouldn’t conclude until the property is sold.
On Lanza’s advice to have a content neutral bylaw, the Planning Board removed language referencing election signs.
“Election signs are treated no differently than other signs,” Lanza said at Town Meeting.
Historical plaques and markers, flags and government insignia, and traffic instructions are specifically excluded from the bylaw’s definition of a “sign” and are not addressed in the new bylaw.
Temporary signs in public ways are governed by Massachusetts General Law, and the Board of Selectmen retains permitting authority over them.
