Sign Bylaw Review Committee Presents Selectmen with Twelve Possible Town Meeting Articles

By Kim Siebert MacPhail

Chair of the ad hoc Sign Bylaw Review Committee Jeff Cohen says he isn’t completely sure yet, but, at this point, his committee has identified twelve different areas they may seek Town Meeting approval for—probably spreading them between spring and fall.

The objectives of the Sign Bylaw Committee have been to:

  • correct or eliminate confusing language and ambiguities so that the bylaw is easier to interpret for the average person and for the Zoning Board of Appeals that must rule on sign request applications;
  • change the “one-size-fits all” approach to signage in Bedford and create zone-specific guidelines so that rules that apply to the Historic District, for example, do not apply to Middlesex Turnpike;
  • make the bylaw more business-friendly while respecting the town’s aesthetic character.

The committee presented to the public in December and made revisions based on that feedback. [ https://thebedfordcitizen.org/2012/12/17/sign-bylaw-review-committee-takes-a-reading-from-the-public-on-proposed-revisions/ ]On Monday night, proposals were made to the Selectmen and the Committee distributed a list of possible warrant articles that cover issues from barber poles, to political signs, to illumination, to sign dimension and sign height.

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One particularly notable proposal was a change inhow the current bylaw refers to political signage.

“The issue that we were coming across—and that was submitted during the comment process,” Cohen said, “was that people were putting them out too soon [before an election], leaving them out too long [according to the current bylaw]. So the Board wanted to address that. We’ll see if it’s acceptable to Town Counsel but we think the proposal will be that [political signs] could be left up for a total of thirty calendar days.”

Selectman and Committee liaison Mark Siegenthaler added, “We tried to create a more understandable system that allows some controls over size and duration but the signs are not subject to bylaw unless they create a public nuisance. If you put something on your corner lot that’s obstructing [sightlines] or any other sort of public safety issue, the Town has the ability to say, ‘You can’t do that.’ But otherwise…”

Some business owners have expressed the desire for sandwich board, A-frame style signsintended to increase visibility from the street. Selectmen noted that this type of sign has been sprouting up, more and more, during the weekends when no code enforcement staff are working.

Cohen said, “We took enforcement into account a lot while we were discussing our changes and having [Code Enforcement Officer] Chris Laskey as our liaison was invaluable,” Cohen said. “He would just say that enforcement [of some changes] would be very difficult, unless you want to have Code Enforcement on the clock, driving all over town on a weekend.”

All changes to the current bylaw, as well as a user-friendly table of guidelines, are posted on the Town’s website [https://www.town.bedford.ma.us/index.php/committees/committees-q-z/sign-bylaw-review-committee ] Comments from the public are welcome, now and during the public hearing that will soon be scheduled.

Following input at the public hearing, the Selectmen will determine what revisions should be made and when and how the proposed articles will appear on the Town Warrant.

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