Capital Group Properties asked the Planning Board for a report to the Zoning Board of Appeals on a special-permit application to allow wall signs at 132 Turnpike Road higher than the 20-foot limit in the business-highway district. The board reviewed photos of the existing signs and the new ‘fusion’ sign and discussed scale, placement, materials, and illumination.

Why it matters: Several tenants already have wall signs above 20 feet without a recorded special-permit decision. The applicant requested a single special permit to regularize existing nonconforming signs and to allow a new internally LED-illuminated sign; the Planning Board’s report is advisory to the ZBA.

Board review and recommendation: Planning staff read the five advisory criteria the board uses for sign referrals (scale vs. building/viewer distance; architectural harmony; compatibility with nearby signage; materials/colors/illumination; public-safety impacts). Board members voted yes on each criterion, noting the signs are in proportion to the building and the location is set back from Route 9. Members requested one condition for the ZBA: internal LED sign illumination should be limited to business hours and not be on between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Members also asked that signage remain internally lit (backlit letters) as proposed and that final brightness and fixture specifications be consistent with the town’s lighting standards.

Outcome: The board agreed to provide a favorable report to the ZBA with the requested condition limiting sign illumination hours. The report will be filed before the ZBA hearing on the sign special permit.