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Zoning board continues hospitalplaque request after concerns about nighttime lighting
Summary
The Northampton Zoning Board of Appeals on March 26 continued consideration of Kulie Dickinson Hospital's request for a special permit to add a donor plaque-style wall sign after residents and board members raised concerns about the proposed halo lighting and neighborhood impacts; the hearing was continued to April 9 at 6:00 p.m.
The Northampton Zoning Board of Appeals on March 26 continued a special-permit request from Kulie Dickinson Hospital to install an additional wall-mounted donor plaque at 30 Locust Street, citing unresolved questions about nighttime lighting and neighborhood impacts.
The proposal, filed as record LU-26-10 (Map ID 23B-046), would add a fourth permanent wall-mounted sign to the hospital campus. Gunnar McCormack of Magnoli Sign Company said the design uses halo (back) lighting, 10-inch letters on an approximately 18-inch-high by roughly 13-inch-wide matte panel, and that the fixture could use warm 2700K LED modules and an adjustable dimmer.
"You are welcome here," McCormack said the plaque would read, and he described the lighting as "very subtle" because the LEDs are internally directed and reflected. Kathy Reid, executive director of operations at Kulie Dickinson, told the board the piece is a donor-funded plaque intended to signal that the hospital provides welcoming care to all and that the donor wished to remain anonymous.
Several speakers pushed back on illumination. Christina White, a Florence resident, told the board that additional lighting "impacts pollinators," migratory birds and bats and can affect human health; she urged the board to require the plaque not be lit at night. Written submissions from Donald L. Darnell and Wendy Berg, filed with the board, similarly urged denial or conditions requiring documented compliance with lumen, color-temperature, shielding and anti-uplight provisions in Northampton's lighting ordinance.
Nathan Chung of the Northampton Office of Planning and Sustainability told the board that compliance with the lighting sections is primarily an enforcement determination by the building commissioner under §350-12.2C(2), though the board must specify in any special-permit decision the exact sign permitted and may impose reasonable conditions. The board cited the special-permit standard in §350-7.2M that requires a finding the additional sign would not detract from neighborhood character and would be in the public interest. A favorable special permit requires a supermajority in this session (three affirmative votes of the sitting members).
Board members said lighting was the dispositive issue: some said the plaque message itself had value for the community, while others said adding another illuminated wall sign risked increasing skyglow and could create night-time distractions. Possible compromises discussed included specifying a lower color temperature, adding a dimmer, limiting hours by timer (for example, turning the plaque off overnight), or approving the plaque only if the donor agrees to no nighttime illumination.
Because the donor's preference about lighting remained unresolved and could not be confirmed during the meeting, the Zoning Board voted unanimously to continue the hearing to April 9, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. to allow the hospital to consult with the donor and return with clarity on whether the plaque would be illuminated, and if so under what restrictions. The vote was recorded in roll call: David Bloomberg (yes), Elizabeth Silver (yes) and Moren Scanland (yes).
The board also approved minutes from its Feb. 26 meeting by unanimous roll call during the same session. The continuing hearing on April 9 will be the next opportunity for the board to receive a specific lighting decision or revised design from the applicant.
