Officials Expected to Propose New Sign Bylaw at Town Meeting

Following , the Easton Planning and Zoning Board is expected to propose a bylaw at town meeting allowing the use of internally lit signs at the discretion of the board.

The decision comes after a throughout town and only allowing for external lighting.

"I’m happy to see some kind of latitude because I had to tell a number of people that moved into existing storefronts at a few main plazas that they couldn’t have signs with lighting," Building Inspector Mark Trivett said at a March 21 planning and zoning board meeting. "That was troublesome for a while, so I’m happy to see this."

The bylaw was brought before the board of selectmen last week and is expected to undergo a public hearing before town meeting.

While Easton's current bylaw bans internally lit signs at any business not "grandfathered in", the new bylaw would allow the use of internally illuminated signs "provided such signs will not adversely impact the neighborhood due to issues relating to design, light pollution, and public safety." The decision to allow such a sign would be up to the planning and zoning board on a case-by-case basis.

Easton Town Planner Brad Washburn said the change is meant to be temporary until a more comprehensive bylaw is passed defining where such signs can be placed.

"The purpose of the change as it’s proposed here wants to take a bylaw that became very restrictive and give the board the ability to allow certain kinds of signs that fit in with the plaza where the business is," Easton Planning and Zoning Board Chair Christine Santoro said at a recent meeting.

The sign bylaw is one of four expected to be proposed at town meeting May 16 by the planning and zoning board. Additionally, the board is expected to propose a bylaw that would allow inlaw apartments up to 900 square feet or 25-percent of a a house, a bylaw allowing for a solar photovoltaic overlay district, and a bylaw relating to building height with a "porpose to promote building height that more accurately reflects the character and scale of Easton's more traditional neighborhoods."

To view a draft of the Town Meeting Warrant, click here.