Design Review Board

CITY OF BEVERLY PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES BOARD OR COMMISSION: Design Review Board DATE: December 2, 2021 LOCATION: Hybrid Meeting; City Hall Conference Room A MEMBERS PRESENT: Sandy Cook (Chair), Ellen Flannery, Caroline Baird Mason, Matthew Ulrich, Rachel Poor STAFF PRESENT: Chelsea Zakas, Associate Planner MEMBERS ABSENT: Joel Margolis OTHERS PRESENT: RECORDER: Sharlyne Woodbury Chair Cook calls the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. This is a hybrid meeting with special meeting format as required to honor Governor Baker’s State of Emergency declared due to the national crisis of COVID-19. Signs 1. Barber’s Edge, 324 Rantoul St – Horell Cruz This is in the CC zoning district. The application includes one projecting sign with business name; no illumination. The sign complies with the ordinance. Lisa Cruz represents the applicant, Horell Cruz. The applicant returns to the board noting they made the requested changes and are applying for a blade sign on the corner of the building. The board has no objections. Cruz confirmed the blade sign will not be internally illuminated. The board confirms only external illumination is permitted by right. There being no further comments or questions regarding the matter: Flannery: Moves to approve the sign as proposed. Mason seconds. The motion carries 6-0. 2. Safe Harbor Martial Arts, 319 Cabot St – Joseph Lischinsky This is in the CC zoning district. The application includes one wall sign with external illumination, including the business name, logo and contact information. The sign complies with the ordinance. Joseph Lischinsky presents to the board. Lischinsky requests the board approve the reuse of his existing sign at the new location. The applicant discusses the external light fixtures noting gooseneck conforms with the other businesses in the area. Cook and the applicant further discuss the light fixtures with Cook stating her preference for gooseneck fixtures. Flood lights would be too harsh in this area. Poor inquires if the phone number is appropriately included on the sign. Members review and discuss the contact information. Lischinsky notes the existing sign was approved at 407 Cabot Street. The applicant requests the phone number remain on the sign. Cook will have Zakas follow up with the applicant to determine if the phone number is allowed to remain. The applicant prefers to not clutter the windows. His business is to demonstrate martial arts and would like the public to see class sessions. Cook and Poor advise Lischinsky on the marketing and branding for the business. Page 1 of 4  Design Review Board December 2, 2021 Meeting Minutes There being no further comments or questions regarding the matter: Cook: Moves to approve the signage as presented; with the condition that a cut sheet demonstrating the 2-3 gooseneck lights for external illumination shall be submitted to Staff for administrative approval; also, with the condition the ordinance and law will be reviewed concerning the phone number on the sign. Flannery seconds. The motion carries 6-0. 3. Sample This, 211 Rantoul St – Joy Cagno This is in the CC zoning district. The application is for one projecting sign including the business name. No illumination. Joy Cagno presents to the board. Cagno is looking to install a projecting sign on a bracket of equal height to Topp Salad. She confirms the height of the bracket and its plain design. There will be no scroll on top of the bracket. Cagno presents a copy of her Gloucester location sign for the board to review and compare. Cagno confirms the color of the sign is “blush”. There being no further comments or questions regarding the matter: Ulrich: Moves to approve the sign as presented. Flannery seconds. The motion carries 6-0. 4. Mobile Gas Station, 44 Dodge St – Carolyn Parker This is in the CG zoning district. The application includes 2 gas station canopy signs with business name and internal illumination. The signs require a special permit since the signs will exceed what is allowed by right in the Sign Ordinance. Carolyn Parker presents to the board. The existing Mobil station does not have any canopy logos. According to the bylaws gas stations are permitted 2 canopy logos. The applicant cites the measurements for the board. Parker is aware a special permit is required. They are removing the blue fascia. The signs will be located in the indent of the white fascia. Cook inquires about the letter height and size difference from the freestanding Mobil sign as compared to the canopy signs. Members have no main objections to the signs given the location and area. Mason inquires about the zoning permitted specific to gas station canopies. Zakas reviews the Ordinance with the board. There being no further comments or questions regarding the matter: Cook: Moves to recommend the ZBA approve the special permit for Mobil Station canopy signs as presented. Zakas seconds. The motion carries 6-0. 5. Gild Salon, 20 Bridge St – Alison Bildsten This is in the R-10 zoning district. The application includes two wall signs with business name, external illumination, and one window sign with business name. The signs are legally non-conforming. Tim and Alison Bildsten present to the committee. The site was formerly a salon having been one for over a decade. They are seeking a primary and secondary sign and door vinyl. Members approve of the building updates and elegant signs. Alison Bildsten notes they moved to Salem, asks Zakas to update the application. Page 2 of 4  Design Review Board December 2, 2021 Meeting Minutes There being no further comments or questions regarding the matter: Cook: Moves to approve the signage as presented. Mason seconds. The motion carries 6-0. 6. Soall Viet Kitchen, 211 Rantoul St – Sa Nguyen This is in the CC zoning district. The application includes one projecting sign with business name, external illumination and 3 window signs with business name. The signs comply with the Ordinance. Sa Nguyen presents to the committee. She explains she is rebranding. Nguyen had a professional redesign her original signage. This is a slight change in the logo. The “Ls” were changed from looking like chopsticks to actual lettering. Cook confirms Nguyen is updating only 4 signs, not the long vertical window sign. The board has no objections. There being no further comments or questions regarding the matter: Flannery: Moves to approve the sign rebranding as presented. Ulrich seconds. The motion carries 6-0. 7. Kristiad’s Tailoring, 509 Rantoul St – Valbona Sota This is in the CN zoning district. The application includes one wall sign with business name and slogan, no illumination. Sota presents to the board. He will use the existing sign dimensions. Members review the sign graphics since applicant is using a template found off the internet. The applicant is not able to give exact dimensions because they did not hire a sign company to design it. The applicant suggests the template can be shrunk and made to fit in the existing sign space. Cook questions if the design will fit within the sign band. Cook asks Poor, when the sign is shrunk to the actual height of the sign band, will it fit and look appropriate. Poor does not think the scale and design will work. Cook suggests removing “find your perfect fit”, and bring down the mannequin between “Kristiad’s Tailoring” maintaining a horizontal fit. Members agree that would be elegant and fit the space better. The applicants are willing to alter the sign. Poor suggests using the tagline “find your perfect fit” in a different area. Members review the ordinance with the applicants, stating any window signage needs to be approved by the board and must cover less than 20% of the window area. There being no further comments or questions regarding the matter: Mason: Moves to approve the signage with the conditions that the applicant deletes the phrase “find your perfect fit”; and the window sign must be less than 20% per the Ordinance. Flannery seconds. The motion carries 6-0. 8. New/Other Business a. Approve draft meeting minutes i. November 4, 2021 Minutes will be reviewed at the January meeting. 9. Adjournment Cook moves to adjourn. Ulrich seconds. The motion carries 6-0. Page 3 of 4  Design Review Board December 2, 2021 Meeting Minutes Meeting adjourned 8:25 p.m. Next meeting Thursday, January 6, 2022. Page 4 of 4