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Planning board allows larger, modified monument sign for Turn 1 Graphics with landscaping expectation
Summary
The board granted a waiver to allow a larger monument sign with backlit top lettering and non‑lit dealer panels for Turn 1 Graphics (platinum truck), finding the sign will be improved visually; the waiver included conditions for landscaping and compliance with lighting rules.
The Hooksett Planning Board voted June 16 to grant a sign‑waiver allowing a reworked monument sign for Turn 1 Graphics (the Platinum Truck business) on Hooksett Road that increases the permitted lit face and changes the sign materials to a routed panel in a framed cabinet.
Planning staff described the request as a waiver from the town’s monument sign standards in the sign ordinance (Article 20). The applicant asked to add two non‑lit dealer decals (NiftyLift and Manitou) inside a slide‑in panel and to modify the top portion of the existing sign to light only the letters for improved legibility. Staff said the existing sign currently has a lit background, and the proposed design would reduce bright background lighting while improving readability for passing traffic.
Board members discussed size, placement and lighting. Staff noted the sign is set near wetlands and that the monument base and surrounding plantings already exist; one member asked for additional shrubs or low‑maintenance plantings beneath the sign to improve the visual transition to grade. The applicant confirmed the dealer panels would be non‑lit vinyl inserts that can be changed without altering the illuminated portion.
After public comment was opened and closed with no verbal opposition, the board approved a motion to grant a waiver from Article 20(d) to permit the requested monument sign modifications and additional square footage for tenant identification. The approval was conditional on final construction details, compliance with lighting limitations in the ordinance (letters lit, background not fully illuminated), and an expectation of landscaped perimeter treatment to the satisfaction of staff.
The waiver applies to the sign as submitted and does not authorize electronic messaging displays. The applicant must submit final construction drawings that show plantings and meet the town’s sign‑lighting standards before a sign permit is issued.
