Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Signage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Zoning board OKs LED message board for Cornerstone Church with dimming requirement
Summary
The Zoning Board approved a special permit allowing Cornerstone Church to replace its manual message board with a dimmable LED sign (same 4x8 size) on March 26, subject to standard night-time limits and town counsel clarification about brilliance and timers.
The Lakeville Zoning Board of Appeals voted on March 26 to grant a special permit allowing Cornerstone Church (petitioner Lawrence Ruben) to replace its existing manual message board with a 4-by-8 LED message sign.
The petitioner said the sign will be used for church announcements and community events, will be dimmable on a timer and will automatically reduce brightness at dusk. Neighbors asked for limits on brightness and an earlier shutoff; the board noted the town bylaw requires illuminated signs to be dark by 11 p.m. and encouraged the applicant to adopt lower evening brightness settings.
Lawrence Ruben told the board the LED sign is meant to make it easier for elderly church volunteers to update messages and to allow the church to post event information; he emphasized the unit can be set to very low contrast or turned off entirely. “It’s part of a church restoration process,” Ruben said. Several members of the public urged caution about brightness and urged an early off-time; one neighbor suggested turning the sign off at 9 p.m. instead of 11 p.m.
The board approved the special permit; in discussion members said they expected the applicant to adhere to the town’s illumination rules and to work with staff on appropriate dimming and timer settings.
Next steps: The applicant will work with planning staff to confirm final brightness and timer settings consistent with the town bylaw; the permit will be conditioned to require compliance with the municipal sign regulations.
