Welcome to
Planner's Corner, a monthly update on the activities of the Williston Planning
and Zoning Department.
This month’s
topic: Signs!
The number,
size, placement, and design of signs in Williston is a critical part of how the
town looks and feels as it grows. Great buildings and sites with attractive features
can be undermined by poorly planned or placed signage. With spring flowers, illegally placed off-site
signs inevitably begin to sprout, compromising viewsheds the Town has worked
hard to preserve. Williston Planning staff conducts quarterly sign sweeps to
remove illegal signs and to assess what other sorts of enforcement related to
signs needs to go on our “to-do” list. Here are some things to know about signs
in Williston:
-Williston
is content-neutral when it comes to sign regulation. What a sign says and whether
its message is commercial, political, religious, or otherwise does not impact
whether or how it is allowed.
-Williston
does not allow off-site signs with the exception of a few types of agricultural
signs as defined by state law. Williston
also does not allow the placement of any signs in the right-of-way of public
roads.
-This means
that almost all temporary signs placed in the public right-of-way, regardless
of message, are subject to enforcement and removal.
-The
planning staff often gets questions about real estate signs advertising homes
for sale. These are allowed without a permit, but must be on-site. Real estate signs are covered by a provision
in the bylaws that allows one temporary sign no bigger than six square feet and
for not more than 90 days in a calendar year, on any one property, regardless
of that sign’s message. The one sign/90 days rule also applies to subdivision
common land.
-Off-site
real estate signs are treated like any other off-site sign and are subject to
the same removal and enforcement provisions as any other off-site sign.
-Other than
the temporary signs described above, all signs in Williston require some kind
of permit. This includes things you might not think of as signs, like flags,
window clings, inflatables, and even vehicles that carry a commercial message,
when they are not parked in regular parking space.
-Window
signs can’t cover more than 25% of the window they are applied to. Full
coverage of building windows with signs is a violation of the town’s bylaws.
-Williston
does not allow new internally-illuminated signs and will require all existing
internally-illuminated signs to be brought into compliance in January of 2025.
-If you have
questions about signs, please call us and ask! Sign rules can get pretty
complicated, and the planning staff can help you navigate them.
Here’s a summary of what’s coming up for our board in the next month.
Agendas, meeting minutes, and supporting documents for the items discussed
below can be found on the “Public Records and Documents” page of Williston’s website. [MB1]
Development Review Board (DRB)
WHEN: June 11 & June 25, 7:00 PM
WHERE: Town Hall Meeting Room – 7900 Williston Road, Second Floor
WHAT:
DP
19-09 Gary Howard requests a discretionary permit to develop Lots 1 and 2 of a
5-lot subdivision (4 residential lots and 1 open space lot) of a 121-acre
parcel of land surrounding 846 Butternut Road in the Agricultural Rural
Residential Zoning District (ARZD) (6/11)
DP 14-01.2 Michael Fregeau requests an amendment to a
discretionary permit to change the location of a building envelope on a
residential parcel at 2318 Oak Hill Road in the Agricultural / Rural
Residential Zoning District (ARZD). (6/25)
DP 19-11 Adams Real Properties, LLC seeks a discretionary permit
for a 9-lot mixed-use subdivision of 41 acres of land located at 700 Mountain
View Road in the Residential Zoning District (RZD). (6/25)
DP 19-19 JC Properties, LLC requests a discretionary permit for
site and building improvements to existing building at 478 Blair Park Road in
the Business Park Zoning District (BPZD). (6/25)
DP 09-01.16 The Snyder FC Commercial Properties, LLC & Rieley
Properties, LLC request a discretionary permit for commercial
building development (Healthy Living Market, retail tenants, and
restaurant tenant) at Finney Crossing “Building J” on Williston Road at Boxwood
Lane intersection, opposite of Shaw's in the Taft Corners Zoning District
(TCZD). (6/25)
Historical
and Architectural Advisory Committee (HAAC)
WHEN: June 4
& June 18, 5:30 PM
WHERE: Town
Hall Annex Conference Room – 7878 Williston Road, First Floor
WHAT: Healthy Living Building Design review, Village
Development Standards
Williston
Conservation Commission (WCC)
WHEN: June 5
& June 19, 7:00 AM
WHERE: Town
Hall Annex Conference Room – 7878 Williston Road, First Floor
WHAT:
June 5:
Report on VMNP projects, Report on Deer/Bird Monitoring at Catamount, review DP
14-01.2 and DP 19-11
June 19:
Desired trails map revision, conserved lands mapping, watershed protection
buffers
Planning
Commission (PC)
WHEN: June 4
& June 18, 7:00 PM
WHERE: Town
Hall Annex Conference Room – 7878 Williston Road, First Floor
WHAT:
June 4: Taft Corners Form Based Code Discussion
June 18: Organization Meeting, Parking Standards, FY20
Workplan
For more
information about the DRB, HAAC, WCC, or PC visit www.williston.vt.gov, click on the
“Boards and Commissions” Tab on the left side of the page, then click on the
relevant board or commission link. Our staff is ready to assist you from
8:00-4:30, Monday through Friday. We can be reached at 802-878-6704 or by email.
