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Citizens Bank signage petition continued to August 21 after board questions about scale and precedent
Summary
Citizens Bank's request to install larger, rebranded ground and wall signage at its East Main Road branch was continued to allow the applicant time to consult with the town staff and consider alternatives including using the existing monument sign or reducing scale.
The Portsmouth Zoning Board continued a petition from Citizens Bank seeking replacement and additional signage at a branch on East Main Road to its August 21 meeting after members raised concerns about visual scale, precedent and whether the sign ordinance’s limits could be met with a smaller or relocated design.
Heather Dedko, representing the applicant and the sign installer, said the bank is pursuing a regional rebrand and preferred to replace an existing 15‑foot monument sign and add a wall sign over the front entrance. Dedko said the replacement freestanding structure would use the existing foundation and that the bank’s proposed sign face (green text area) measured approximately 34.5 square feet; staff had measured larger.
Board members probed alternatives, including reducing letter/face area, moving existing permitted signage to the front of the building, or using the existing monument sign in a more visible way. One member cautioned that corporate rebranding alone is not a hardship that overrides town sign ordinances. After a broad discussion the board agreed to allow Citizens Bank to consult with staff and return in August; a motion to continue the application to the zoning board’s August meeting carried.
Votes at a glance: Petition continued to the August 21 meeting; no vote on the variance requests was taken.
