Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Signage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Troy board approves store-mounted sign for Bargain Grocery, denies off-site freestanding parking sign
Summary
The Troy planning/zoning board approved a building-mounted sign for Bargain Grocery at 558 River Street but rejected an off-site freestanding parking wayfinding sign placed on DOT land, asking the applicant to redesign before returning.
The Troy Planning/Zoning board on an evening hearing approved a building-mounted sign for Bargain Grocery at 558 River Street but voted down a proposed freestanding off-premises parking wayfinding sign located under the Route 7 overpass.
Board members approved the building-mounted sign after a motion to vote on each sign separately; the freestanding sign was defeated 4-1 at final vote, and the applicant was told to return with a redesigned sign that clarifies it directs customers to both the main and overflow parking.
Why it matters: The freestanding sign would have been installed on a parcel licensed from the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT). Board members and the applicant disagreed over whether the sign counts as off-premises (and thus prohibited by the city’s sign rules) or is a lawful, on-contiguous-parcel wayfinding sign for Bargain Grocery’s leased DOT lot. The board’s decision preserves limits on off-premises signage while allowing the store a clear building sign.
Adam, a representative of Adirondack Sign Company presenting for the applicant, said the freestanding sign had been reduced per prior direction and described the parking sign as “very simple. We toned it way down.” Nathaniel Betty of First Columbia, the property manager, said the lot where the sign would sit is contiguous to the grocery’s parcel and that the DOT had reviewed the submittal and “have no problem with it.” Joe Castello, also with First Columbia, confirmed the applicant holds a license for the under-bridge lot and said the lease dates from a prior three-year term and has been held over since the DOT last bid the sites.
Board members pressed the applicant on alternatives to the freestanding sign, including a smaller sign mounted to existing property or wording that explicitly indicates overflow parking. One board member said he would accept the freestanding sign only if it “indicates that the people could park right there” or otherwise clarifies both lots are available; another said the legal concern would “dissipate” if the sign wording made that clear.
Public comment supported the need for clearer wayfinding. Resident Eduardo Dunphy described difficulty finding the grocery lot from River Street and said a freestanding wayfinding sign would address that problem.
Action details: The board found the overall submission to be an unlisted action with sufficient information for a negative declaration on environmental review. The building-mounted sign (store-mounted) was approved (5-0). The freestanding off-premises parking sign was denied (1 yes, 4 no); the board advised the applicant to redesign the sign language and return for further review.
Next steps: Applicants said they will revise the freestanding sign to indicate overflow parking and consider adding arrows/wording such as “Bargain Grocery — store parking” and “Overflow parking” and return to the board. The DOT licensing status remains a condition of any future approval; one motion recorded a condition that a sign must be removed if the applicant loses the lease/license for the lot.
