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Danvers planning board approves signage waiver for Winchester Savings Bank at 44 Maple Street
Summary
The Town of Danvers Planning Board on July 14 approved a signage waiver to allow a projecting blade sign at 44 Maple Street that increases the tenant's total sign area to 24.8 square feet (the bylaw limit is 20). The board asked the bank to clarify wording that currently reads "entrance in rear."
The Town of Danvers Planning Board voted July 14 to grant a signage waiver for Winchester Savings Bank at 44 Maple Street, allowing an aggregate tenant sign area of 24.8 square feet where the zoning bylaw sets a 20-square-foot maximum.
Chair Jean Hartnett opened the public hearing and heard from Michael Leary, the applicant's representative, who described a double-sided projecting bracket sign roughly 5.9 square feet to be added to an existing 18.9-square-foot wall sign. Leary said the blade sign will be illuminated by downward-facing solar lights and is intended to alert patrons to an additional entrance.
Board members said they had no objection to the proposed size but pressed the applicant to revise the sign text. Lou George and other members said phrasing such as "entrance in rear" could mislead pedestrians into an alley and suggested alternatives like "additional entrance" or omitting directional language. The applicant agreed to review the wording and provide clarification.
Planning staff noted that the sign area exceeds the 20-square-foot per-tenant maximum in the character-based downtown zoning district (DTCC), which is why the waiver was necessary. Staff also confirmed approximate mounting dimensions discussed at the hearing: the new sign would be centered on the next window bay, about six feet from the adjacent sign, with the bottom of the blade approximately eight feet above the sidewalk.
After members closed the public hearing, the board voted to approve the waiver. Staff read the certificate of the vote and recorded conditions of approval: because the blade projects over the public way, the applicant must obtain Select Board approval and provide an insurance policy naming the Town of Danvers as a co-insured before a sign permit is issued; and any approval will lapse if construction has not begun within three years of the grant. Chair Jean Hartnett presided over the vote.
Other board actions at the July 14 meeting included continuances of site-plan matters for 6 Hobart Street and for 156 and 158 Maple Street to the Planning Board's August 11 meeting to allow peer-review and engineering comments to be addressed. The board also approved minutes for May 12, May 26 and June 9, 2026, and adjourned the meeting.
The Planning Board packet lists the waiver as submitted by Michael Leary and references plans dated May 13, 2026, prepared by Classic Signs Incorporated. The board requested the applicant return with revised sign wording or imagery to address the clarity and safety concerns raised at the hearing.
