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Design board approves façade updates and signage package for Highland Avenue shopping center; Mathnasium sign must use nonreflective off-white
Summary
Needham’s Design Review Board approved a coordinated façade and signage update for a Highland Avenue shopping center and approved tenant signs with one conditional approval requiring Mathnasium’s background be a nonreflective off-white.
The Needham Design Review Board on April 28 approved façade improvements and a coordinated signage package for the Highland Avenue shopping center that includes 1299 Highland Avenue and adjacent bays (including tenants such as Conrad’s, Cookie Monster and Needham Wine & Spirits). The board also approved the related signage set for the adjoining building, with a condition for the Mathnasium sign’s background color.
Avi Schaus, director of development for Grossman Companies, explained the façade program: repainting in a muted white (Sherwin Williams “Snowbound”), painting railings and downspouts in a dark accent (iron ore), repairing the canopy, and aligning tenant signs with a new, uniform frame system on one building while mounting individual letters on the other. The applicant presented lighting fixtures for the piers and a coordinated approach to the sign band to replace a mix of older, internally lit cabinets.
Sign vendor Gary described the construction: a metal frame and panel system for three tenant signs on one building (dimensional letters ~2 inches deep over a painted background with LED downlights), and individual directly mounted letters for wall-mounted signs such as Needham Wine & Spirits. Board members responded favorably to the simplified, consistent approach but raised concerns about the Mathnasium panel’s highly reflective white background. Felix asked for a more muted, matte or off-white finish to reduce glare on Highland Avenue and suggested the board could review painted samples.
The board voted in parts. It approved façade changes to 1299 Highland Avenue. It approved Needham Wine & Spirits, Pure Hockey and other tenant signs as submitted. For Mathnasium, the board approved the sign conditionally: the background must be an off-white, nonreflective color (the applicant agreed to submit painted samples for DRB file and final staff review). Votes were recorded as Yes by all members present on each vote.
