Historic District Commission approves updated hanging sign and door lettering for William Street storefront

The Historic District Commission approved a revised sign package for a William Street storefront, including a perpendicular hanging sign and block-lettering on the front door.

At the meeting Chair opened the continuance for the William Street case and asked the applicant to state his name and address. Applicant Michael McLean said he revised the earlier colorful logo to a more "old fashioned" black-on-white design using the business's logo font. McLean described the hanging sign as mounted from the building gable about "9 feet is where it'll be starting from," and said it will hang down about 1½ to 2 feet, leaving roughly 7 to 7½ feet of clearance above the sidewalk.

Commissioners asked about visibility and placement. McLean said interior-mounted signs would not show well because the storefront windows are heavily tinted and that he planned to reduce the logo for placement on the door and put hours lower on the door. The board also noted that any open flag or removable sidewalk board must meet the same 7-foot clearance requirement from the bottom of the sign to the sidewalk.

During discussion, several commissioners offered design preferences. One commissioner said the black-on-white approach "really pops" and recommended block letters for legibility; another warned against overly colorful or whimsical designs that could clash with the streetscape. The applicant acknowledged those concerns and said he had compromised on logo size and font to respond to feedback.

A commissioner moved to approve the sign package as presented; the motion was seconded and the commission approved the item by voice vote with no recorded opposition. The approval covered the hanging sign, door block lettering and the window/door hours layout as presented in the continuance item.

The commission closed discussion on the case and moved on to the next agenda item.