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Planning commission allows Oneiro Foundation banners and new address sign for 1 year trial
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission approved temporary banners and a new street‑address sign for the Oneiro Foundation at 63 Park Street on a one‑year trial, with conditions including dates and removal requirements; the Historic District Commission had already approved the design.
The Planning and Zoning Commission on June 24 approved a site sign application allowing the Oneiro Foundation to display two temporary banners on 63 Park Street during exhibitions and to replace a damaged 4‑square‑foot street address sign, on a one‑year trial through June 30, 2026.
Attorney Steve Finn presented the application for the Oneiro Foundation; Laurence Laforgue, the foundation’s executive director, described plans to mount two 4‑by‑8‑foot mesh banners to publicize exhibitions and lectures and to replace the existing plexiglass address sign with a brushed‑metal 4‑square‑foot street‑address plaque. Finn told the commission the Historic District Commission approved the banners and a revised sign on May 22, 2025, and the HDC had asked the applicants to shorten the banners so their bottom edges fall between first‑ and second‑floor windows and to remove the banners between exhibitions.
The commission approved the sign site plan with these specific conditions: banners may be displayed for the first exhibition season starting 14 calendar days before the opening and must be taken down the day after an exhibition closes; the initial authorization runs through 06/30/2026 (one year); the banners must match the revised, shorter renderings submitted to the commission and to the Historic District Commission; and the address sign material and size must match the approved submittal. The motion included authorization for the Oneiro Foundation logo to appear on the banner and sign as shown in the revised materials. The commission recorded its vote in a roll call; the motion passed.
“We applied to the Historic District Commission and agreed to shorten the banners and to remove them between exhibitions,” Laurence Laforgue said. “Our first exhibition opens Oct. 1 and will run through March 30, 2026.”
The commission also discussed precedent questions and whether banners would encourage other institutions to seek similar exceptions. Several commissioners said they were concerned about setting a town‑wide precedent but were persuaded that this property’s location facing a parking lot and its cultural mission made a trial reasonable. The commission and applicant agreed on precise dates and limits; Finn confirmed the applicant would bring the banners only 14 days prior to an exhibition opening and remove them the day after an exhibit ended.
The approval requires the banners conform to the materials and dimensions shown in the revised submission and makes the permit time‑limited to give the commission an opportunity to review community response after one year. The Oneiro Foundation also agreed that no sign lighting is planned.
