[Click on any picture for a larger image]

Home

About SSARPC

Join Our Email List

Support Our Efforts

Let Your Voice Be Heard!

Documents and

Announcements

 Historic Preservation Commission Hearing

December 2, 2009

The HPC hearing tonight ended in a continuance for 6 weeks in order to give the applicant a chance to come up with a plan that incorporates ground signs only. The commissioners agreed to allow the sign in the back to remain, but agreed that attaching signs to a historic building would not maintain the integrity of a historic building.

Matt Bonifant represented the applicant and said that they decided to go with the metal signs since solid wood signs were "cost prohibitive." All commissioners and staff made a face at that and questioned  the idea that three wood signs would be cost prohibitive.  He said that the building is hard to rent and compared the building to the Red Door Store and said that they did not want this building to go unrented like that one is.  He argued that the medical place needed multiple signs for people to be able to find them at all times.

One commissioner asked if people saw this business as a destination or would someone with a broken leg drive down the street and say "Oh look. There is a place that I can go" noting that they didn't need a sign  because people would come there looking for the building.

They agreed that a freestanding sign with moveable slats would be the best and gave him many examples in Montgomery County of where to look for samples.

Two commissioners did not like the idea of posting the Medical sign on the roof of the portico since in the 1928 photo showed some kind of brace that does not exist now. They questioned how it would be attached today.

One commissioner asked whether the applicant had considered a neon window sign. Everyone reacted to this saying it wasn't considered since it isn't appropriate in a historic area.

The HPC wanted to give the applicant 30 days, but because of the holiday, 6 weeks was the next available HPC meeting date.

Back to Home Page