Commission approves Mainely Tacos sign and exterior lighting at 64 Main Street

The Bangor Historic Preservation Commission on April 10 approved a certificate of appropriateness and design-review permit for 64 Main Street — the Mainely Tacos storefront — allowing the addition of three signs and exterior lighting.

Applicant Chris Martin, owner of Mainely Tacos and CFC Real Estate LLC, told the commission the proposal would remove existing awnings and mount two wall signs and one projecting sign (the projecting sign noted as roughly 2 feet by 4 feet in the consultant's report). Martin said the hanging sign would be a three-quarter-inch plywood panel with metal facing on both sides; the wall signs were described as three-eighths-inch plastic board with metal facing. He said the new exterior lighting will use an existing junction box and exterior conduit on the rear wall and mount into existing plywood covering a transom leaded prismatic glass panel.

Commissioners and staff raised concerns about preserving the covered leaded glass and about using screws that might penetrate too deeply into the plywood over the transom. Martin said he is not removing the glass and that the sign panels would be attached to the existing plywood with shallow screws; he agreed to use a paint finish on the plywood where visible. The commission also discussed whether the removal of awnings required separate review; staff advised the lighting and signs were the intended triggers for commission review, and several commissioners said the front and rear awning removals related to installing the proposed signage and therefore could be considered as part of this action.

The commission took separate motions and roll-call votes for each design-review and preservation standard under section 71 and section 148 of city code (as required by the commission's new protocol). Commissioners found the application satisfied materials/technique, non-destruction of character-defining features, compatibility of new work, appropriateness to period/style, careful selection of hardware and fixtures, and overall harmony with existing materials. After those findings, the commission voted to grant the certificate of appropriateness and design-review permit for the proposed work.

Commissioners praised the lighting choice as “relevant, tasteful, and appropriate” for a downtown storefront and noted the project's reversibility and the applicant's willingness to preserve the covered transom panel for potential future restoration.

The applicant was advised that tree-board review might be required for work affecting the street tree adjacent to the building.

The commission's findings and final permit were recorded by roll-call vote; no appeals or conditions beyond those discussed were entered into the record at the meeting.