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Portsmouth approves reduced signage variance for Looking Upwards with size condition
Summary
The Zoning Board granted a dimensional variance allowing a second freestanding sign at 1184 East Main Road, but limited it to 32 square feet and 15 feet high and required applicants to return if additional signage is proposed; the applicant said directional signage is needed for a busy nonprofit and preschool on the site.
The Portsmouth Zoning Board approved a dimensional variance for signage at 1184 East Main Road, the site shared by nonprofit Looking Upwards and the Lily Frog childcare program, but imposed a condition to limit the freestanding sign and require the applicant to return to the board if additional signage or neighboring signage is proposed.
At a continuance hearing, applicant counsel described a revised signage plan that scales back previously proposed building signs and adds a freestanding directional sign the applicants measured at about 52 square feet. "We have reconfigured, and now we are requesting ... a freestanding sign, that would be approximately 52 square feet," the applicant's representative said. Representatives for Looking Upwards said the triangular, non‑storefront site needs clear directional signage to guide staff, families and buses. "We have a capacity for 78 children... drop‑off and pickup in the mornings and the evenings is pretty busy," Carrie Miranda, executive director of Looking Upwards, told the board.
Board members reviewed Article 9 of the Portsmouth sign regulations and noted most East Main Road businesses meet a 40‑square‑foot standard. Planning staff and a board member suggested a compromise limit of 32 square feet for the extra freestanding sign to reduce visual impact while preserving safety and directional function. The board adopted a motion to grant a dimensional variance allowing a second freestanding sign perpendicular to East Main Road not to exceed 32 square feet and 15 feet in height, and a small accessory address sign on the west side of the building of about 5.62 square feet (variance ~3.3 sq ft). The chair added a condition that any additional signage at the property or new off‑site signs tied to the property require the applicant to return for further board review.
The board balanced visual‑character concerns raised by members who spoke against increasing permitted sign size on East Main Road with the applicant's statements about safety and daily operations at a busy nonprofit facility. The approved conditions aim to limit precedent while addressing the applicant's immediate wayfinding needs.
