Town of Wellesley, Massachusetts

WELLESLEY DESIGN SEPTEMBER 12 2007

PLANNING BOARD OFFICE, TOWN HALL

Members Present: Bob Broder, Ed Hand, Robert Skolnick, Ingrid Carls, Sheila Dinsmoor and Meghan Jop

Also Present: Paul Maggi, Shelley Kaplan, Stephen Tolley, Charles Enright, Mary Ann Burke, Walter Rodriguez, Ken Woodman, John Groman, Bryn Robinson, Raymond Thill

Bob Broder, Acting Chairman, brought the meeting to order at 7:30.

1. 7:30 pm Playhouse Square 380 Washington Street Minor Construction DRB: 12-07M, 28-07

Mr. Paul Maggi returned to the Board for continued review of the proposed façade renovations for Playhouse Square located at 380 Washington Street. Ms. Helen Robertson after the initial review by the Board found an old photograph of the building showing the original façade. Mr. Maggi noted the original façade is very similar in design to the existing proposal. Mr. Maggi stated originally six different designs were presented for the façade. The owners decided to go with a larger design to allow for a 3' projection to protect pedestrians as they entered the entrance. Mr. Maggi also presented the proposed signage that would measure 12' wide by 16" high. The sign would be composed of 8" high pin set letters in an antique brass finish and would read "Playhouse Square".

Mr. Maggi addressed the Board's concerns over the condition of the brick behind the current marquee. Mr. Maggi stated Essex Restoration looked at the marquee and noted the canopy would be a replacement not a restoration due to the amount of work required. Essex Restoration found the bricks to be in good order, and Mr. Maggi stated Essex is able to match and replace any bricks necessary.

Ms. Carls questioned if a street number or address plaques was going to be placed on the building. Mr. Broder recommended a Times New Roman antique bronze plate on the side of the entrance. Mr. Broder suggested mounting the number and address on the door. Mr. Maggi stated a small plaque could be placed on the right side of the entrance with the number and address of the property.

The Board questioned how the entrance and sign would be illuminated. Mr. Maggi stated the current proposal is to have recessed lighting under the canopy and he noted the streetlight in front of the building.

The Board after a brief discussion established the proposed minor construction project and sign application meet the by right requirements of the Sign Bylaw and the Design Guidelines and moved, seconded, and voted unanimously to:

"Recommend the Building Inspector approve the proposed façade renovations and sign to be located at 380 Washington Street as presented with the addition of an address plaque to be located on the right side of the entrance doors."

2. 7:45 pm Burke Funeral Home 56 Washington Street Awning Sign DRB: 54-07

Ms. Mary Ann Burke came before the Board for review of a proposed awning sign to be located at 56 Washington Street. The proposed awning sign would measure 5' wide canopy that would project 7'-6" from the building. The awning would be covered in sunbrella fabric and would read " Henry J. Burke and Sons Funeral Home in 3" white letters on the two valances of the awning. The front of the awning is proposed to have a "B" logo in a 12" white letter.

The Board began the discussion by questioning why the application had two different types of "B" logos. Ms. Burke stated the Old English font is the font they would be using. The Board questioned if the sides of the awning as proposed would match the main standing sign. The Board recommended writing "Burke Funeral Home" to allow for an increased letter height and clearer visibility.

The Board questioned the size of the valance and noted in one location in the application it reads 3.5" high and in another it read 4" high. The Board asked the applicant to return with images of the front façade showing where the proposed awning would be placed, as well as scaled dimensional drawings of the proposed awning showing the right proportions of letter height. The Board stated the next scheduled meeting is September 26, 2007.

3. 7:55 pm Babson College 189 Wellesley Ave Minor Construction DRB: 13-07M

Mr. Shelley Kaplan and Mr. Stephen Tolley came before the Board for review of a proposed shed to be located at 189 Wellesley Avenue on the Babson College Campus. The proposed shed would measure 12' by 20' and would be located behind the faculty home at 189 Wellesley Avenue. The shed would be constructed with white vinyl siding and black shutters to mimic the existing house. The long side of the shed would have a double door facing into the yard and two windows. The right side of the shed would have one window. The left side would have an entrance door.

The Board after a brief review noted the rationale for review is the property is located on the Babson College Campus and is zoned educational. The Board established the proposed shed meets the requirements of a minor construction project and the Design Review Guideline. The Board moved, seconded, and voted unanimously to:

"Recommend the Building Inspector approve the proposed shed to be located at 189 Wellesley Avenue as presented."

4. 8:00 pm Edward Jones 348 Washington Street Wall Sign DRB: 48-07 to 49-07

Mr. Charles Enright came before for review of a proposed wall and window sign to be located at 348 Washington Street. The proposed wall sign would measure12" high by 96" wide and would be a hand carved wood sign with a green background, gold trim, and 7" gold leaf letters that reads "Edward Jones Investment". The wall sign would be a vinyl sign affixed to the entrance door that read "Edward Jones Investments" and measures 15' wide by27" high. At the bottom of the vinyl sign it is proposed to read the Financial Advisor's name along with a telephone number and website address.

The Board began the discussion with Mr. Hand questioning the lettering location on the sign. Mr. Hand noted the sign proposal has the letters of the sign aligning with the bottom of the "investments" portion of the sign.

Ms. Carls stated she was in opposition to the website address and the telephone number. Mr. Enright stated the office is a small operation and if the business is closed due to a meeting the information would direct clients. Mr. Skolnick agreed and noted the size and scale of the sign are appropriate enough to be considered on the same scale as hours of operation. Ms. Carls agreed and noted if the web address or telephone number was on the main window the Board would not approve it. The Board agreed.

The Board after a brief discussion established the proposed wall and window signs meet the by right requirements of the Sign Bylaw and Design Guidelines and the Board moved, seconded, and voted unanimously to:

"Recommend the Building Inspector approve the proposed wall and window sign for the property located at 348 Washington Street to read "Edward Jones Investments" as presented".

5. 8:15 pm Needham Cooperative Bank 458 Washington Street Clock DRB: 47-07

Mr. Walter Rodriguez came before the Board for review of a proposed clock to be located at 458 Washington Street, the Needham Cooperative Bank. The clock proposed would replicate the Town Standard clock in Wellesley Square. The proposed Clock would measure 15' in height and would be setback 22' from Washington Street and 18' from State Street. The proposed clock would be black with gold highlights and would read "Needham Bank" at the top with 3" raised letters. Mr. Rodriguez informed the Board that a Town tree obscured the original location. Mr. Rodriguez further noted four bollards are proposed to surround the clock and to protect it from damage from cars.

The Board began the discussion with Mr. Skolnick questioning if the clock could be blocked in with curbing to protect it rather than bollards. Mr. Rodriguez stated they could block it off and place mulch or some landscaping elements. Ms. Dinsmoor recommended a granite base raising the clock with landscaping around it. Mr. Rodriguez stated the bank would like to keep the clock at ground level so the time can be seen due to the close proximity to the tree.

The Board after a brief discussion established the proposed clock meets the requirements of the Design Review Guidelines and moved, seconded, and voted unanimously to:

"Recommend the Building Inspector approve the installation of the clock to be located at 458 Washington Street as proposed, with the recommendation that a raised granite trimmed landscape bed surround the clock similar in style to the Town Standard clock on Central Street."

6. 8:30 pm Bella Sante 190 Linden Street Awning and Wall Sign DRB:50-07, 51-07

Mr. John Groman came before the Board with Bryn Robinson, and Raymond Thill, representatives from Boston Sign Company, for review of the proposed signage for his business located at 190 Linden Street. Awnings are proposed for the majority of the windows on the building. The business will be located on the second floor. The proposed awning signage would be located in the middle of groups of 3 or 4 awnings, depending upon the window location and each awning would measure 33" in height. The proposal is to have blue awnings with "Bella Sante" in cream with a lavender bouquet logo in the middle. The logo would be 4" in height. The proposed wall sign would be a perpendicular wall sign that would extend3'-6" feet from the building. The actual sign would measure 32" wide by 8" high. The sign would be double sided and located adjacent to the rear entrance to the building. The letters would measure 4" in height and would be in a blue color on a silver background with the lavender logo.

Mr. Skolnick began the discussion by suggesting the owners place the logo on the center of each valance. Mr. Skolnick noted the look of Deprisco Jewelers on Washington Street and noted the look worked well with awnings. Mr. Skolnick also questioned if there are awnings on all of the elevations, and noted the plans had awnings missing on the east elevation.

Mr. Robinson and Mr. Thill stated there are 39 awnings proposed, however there are no awnings proposed for the corner section of the north elevation due to the glass awning.

Mr. Gorman stated the awnings are necessary for the solar gain issue resulting from the amount of glass on the second floor. Mr. Gorman stated Bella Sante is a spa and is designed to have a corridor around the perimeter of the upper story with rooms on the interior. Ms. Carls questioned if the glass is clear. Mr. Gorman stated the glass is clear.

The Board having established the proposed signage package meets the Design Review Guidelines and the approved Linden Square building signage plan moved, seconded, and voted unanimously to:

"Recommend the Building Inspector approve the proposed awning and wall signs to be located at 190 Linden Street as presented subject to a lavender bouquet logo being added and centered on all of the awning valances."

7. 8:45 pm National Jeans 180 Linden Street 2 Wall Signs DRB: 52-07, 53-07

Mr. Ken Woodman came before the Board for review of two proposed wall signs to be located at 180 Linden Street. The proposed signs would measure 190" wide by 12" high. The letters would be individually mounted 2" thick sign foam letters. The letters would be mounted to a ¾" thick bar and would be set 2" from the building. The sign would read "National Jean Company". The "Jean" portion of the sign would be in a silver color with the remainder of the sign in black. The bar mounting the letters would be painted red to match the brick background.

The Board began the discussion by questioning why the letters were proposed to be 2" thick. The Board also questioned why the letters are being set almost 3" off the building. Mr. Woodman, from On Site Sign & Awning noted the tenants of Linden Square are required to conform to the dimensions. Mr. Woodman submitted a signage package for Linden Square tenants to the Board.

Ms. Carls questioned how the sign would be illuminated. Mr. Woodman stated the sign would have gooseneck lights. The Board after a brief discussion felt if the letters were to be off set from the building they should not exceed 2". The Board recommended the mount of the bar and letters be set at 1 ¼ inches to accommodate the ¾ inch bar.

The Board having established the proposed wall signs meet the by right requirements of the Sign Bylaw and the Design Review Guidelines moved, seconded, and voted unanimously to:

"Recommend the Building Inspector approve the proposed wall signs to be located at 180 Linden Street to read "National Jean Company" as presented subject to the sign being set 1-1/4" from the mounting bar for a letter off set of 2" from the wall."

8. 9:00 pm Fells Hollow 12 Russell Road Standing Sign DRB:46-07

The Board reviewed the proposed standing sign for Fells Hollow to be located at 12 Russell Road. The proposed sign would measure 5' wide by 3' high and would be a carved wood sign with a tan background and white letters. The sign would read "12" at the top in 5" letters with "Fells Hollow" in 7.5" letters and "Wellesley's 55 & Over Community - 12 Russell Road" in 4" letters.

The Board began the discussion by noting the "Wellesley's 55 & Over Community" should be removed. The Board felt the name and address of the condominium complex was sufficient. The Board recommended centering the remaining two lines of text with the "12" at the top of the sign.

The Board having established the proposed sign meets the design review guidelines moved, seconded, and voted to:

"Recommend the Building Inspector approve the proposed standing sign to be located at 12 Russell Road as presented subject to the removal of the "Wellesley's 55 & Over Community" from the sign".

9. 9:10 pm Other Business

The Board approved the minutes as revised from 7/18/07 and 08/15/07.

The Board discussed the Large House Review proposed by the Planning Board. The Board was concerned over the effect of valuation of residential properties, the subjective nature of the Design Review Boards review and recommendations, and the volume of projects that would be presented to the Board.

The Board noted that there has been discussion from residents of making the Design Review Board an elected Board, and the Board has heard other suggestions relating to creating a Wellesley Building License.

The Board adjourned at 9:30 p.m.