[0:09] Order the meeting of the Gardener City
[0:10] Council and the Planning Board to order
[0:12] for the purpose of a joint public
[0:14] hearing regarding an amendment to
[0:15] chapter 675 of the Kota City Gardener.
[0:18] The joint public hearing notice reads as
[0:21] follows.
[0:24] Pursuant to general laws 40A subsection
[0:26] 5, notice is hereby given that the city
[0:30] council and planning board will conduct
[0:32] a joint public hearing on Monday, April
[0:34] 6, 2026 at 7 p.m. in the city council
[0:38] chamber, room 219, city hall, 95
[0:40] Pleasant Street, Gardener, to consider
[0:43] amending chapter 675, the zoning code of
[0:45] the city of Gardner. The proposed
[0:47] amendment involves changing item 11772,
[0:51] an ordinance to amend the code of the
[0:52] city of Gardner, chapter 675, thereof
[0:54] entitled zoning, to remove article 9,
[0:57] thereof entitled signs and advertising
[0:59] devices, and move it to a new nonzoning
[1:02] chapter to be numbered chapter 665.
[1:05] Information regarding these amendments
[1:07] and associated maps are available for
[1:08] viewing in the city clerk's office, the
[1:11] department of community development and
[1:12] planning, or on the city's web page,
[1:14] www.gardner gardener-mma.gov.
[1:17] All persons interested in this matter
[1:19] and desire to offer testimony are
[1:21] invited to attend the hearing. TTCF,
[1:23] city clerk.
[1:26] The clerk will now please do a roll
[1:28] call.
[1:28] >> Councelor Brooks,
[1:29] >> present.
[1:30] >> Council Craig Cormier,
[1:31] >> present.
[1:31] >> Council General Owitz,
[1:32] >> present.
[1:33] >> Council Harder,
[1:34] >> present.
[1:34] >> Council Heath,
[1:35] >> present.
[1:36] >> Council Heg,
[1:36] >> present.
[1:37] >> Council Kazinskus,
[1:38] >> present.
[1:39] >> Council Math,
[1:40] >> present. Council Tone,
[1:43] >> Council Tibbo Munos,
[1:44] >> present.
[1:45] >> President Tyrus,
[1:46] >> present.
[1:47] >> Mr. Paul Cormier,
[1:49] >> present.
[1:50] >> Mr. Steven Cormier,
[1:51] >> present.
[1:52] >> Mr. Eric Flint,
[1:53] >> present.
[1:53] >> And Mr. Bob Sorts,
[1:55] >> present.
[1:57] >> Both bodies have quorum. At this time,
[1:59] I'd request a report from the mayor or
[2:01] director of community development.
[2:08] » Thank you very much, Mr. President,
[2:09] thank you to Councelor Mack for ask
[2:10] inviting me to be a uh co-sponsor of
[2:12] this ordinance before you here today and
[2:14] provide the administration's uh opinion
[2:17] on the ordinance change that is before
[2:19] you here today. Uh as I said in the uh
[2:21] subcommittee meeting that met on this
[2:23] ordinance item before you. Uh there are
[2:26] no actual
[2:29] uh verbiage changes in the language that
[2:31] before you. the the ordinance that's
[2:32] before you would take the signed section
[2:35] of the zoning code that currently exists
[2:37] in chapter 675 and remove it from the
[2:40] zoning code and place it into a regular
[2:41] general ordinance of the uh city code.
[2:45] And the reason for that uh is based off
[2:48] of the feedback that we've received from
[2:49] several different businesses who have
[2:50] been looking at opening businesses here
[2:52] in Gardener who have opened businesses
[2:53] here in Gardener and talking about the
[2:55] different regulations around signage for
[2:57] the businesses that they have and how
[2:59] that's really stunted, stalled or added
[3:01] costs to the developments as they've
[3:03] tried to open up here in Gardener. Uh,
[3:05] as we know through the process that
[3:06] we're currently going through right now,
[3:08] the process of amending a zoning
[3:10] ordinance is designed to be drawn out
[3:13] because you're looking for increased
[3:15] public input. You're looking for
[3:16] increased uh feedback,
[3:19] but at the same time, you need to
[3:21] balance the public good of getting that,
[3:24] you know, feedback in a longer period of
[3:25] time versus the experience that's on the
[3:29] ground being happened with the
[3:30] businesses that we have at the moment.
[3:31] And when you balance those to get the
[3:33] greater public good that we have in the
[3:34] end of basically trying to get more
[3:36] businesses in here because it does help
[3:37] us financially. It does help our
[3:38] residents here find ways to stay here uh
[3:41] to work, live and play here. Something
[3:43] as simple as putting a sign on a
[3:45] business to advertise that business can
[3:46] really make or break a project during
[3:48] its balance sheet phase uh or make
[3:51] someone realize that a business is even
[3:52] there and help that business last
[3:53] longer. Uh and I'll give you a couple of
[3:56] examples as to what really brought this
[3:58] to life. Um, back in the 2010s, uh, when
[4:02] Tiffany Crossroads first opened, the 99
[4:04] restaurant had its, uh, groundbreaking
[4:06] in 2018. So, we're going back around
[4:08] that time frame. Uh, Tiffany Crossroads
[4:11] ran into a lot of issues with the
[4:12] dimensions that have honestly not been
[4:15] updated uh, for quite some time for the
[4:17] dimensions of the signage into the
[4:18] plaza, the dimensions of the signage
[4:19] that could go on the buildings uh, for
[4:21] the businesses that were there. uh
[4:23] adding uh some extra time for cost with
[4:26] engineering, cost with design work, cost
[4:28] with the sign companies to rework the
[4:29] signage that had to be done both for the
[4:31] entrance in and out of the plaza itself.
[4:33] Uh the signs that could be visible to
[4:35] advertise for the plaza uh and the signs
[4:37] that could go on the businesses that are
[4:39] there. Uh you go back a little bit
[4:41] before that in the 2015 2016 uh time
[4:44] frame, we had the uh Bank of America uh
[4:47] kiosk that was put in at the Price
[4:49] Chopper lot and the way that the signage
[4:50] around the Bank of America kiosk could
[4:52] go. Uh then in the 2020s, we launched
[4:55] our side and facade improvement grant
[4:57] program that we did through the American
[4:58] Rescue Plan funds. We ended up having to
[5:02] advertise that we had that sign grant a
[5:04] lot more than we had to do the facade
[5:06] grants. And the reason being for that is
[5:08] uh the feedback we were getting in real
[5:09] time from property owners in the city
[5:11] because the property owners had to be
[5:12] the one to sign off on both the sign and
[5:14] the facade applications was that it was
[5:16] easier under zoning to update the
[5:18] facades to make the buildings look good
[5:19] than it was to deal with the sign
[5:21] regulations that we had and the review
[5:23] process and everything that had to go
[5:24] with that. It made it so that we uh went
[5:27] through the facade money that was about
[5:29] four or five times more than what we had
[5:30] set aside for sign money in about a
[5:33] month, month and a half where it took us
[5:35] two years to go through the sign
[5:38] improvement program where businesses we
[5:39] offered uh 2 uh $2,500 per sign to help
[5:45] uh advertise for a business. And we
[5:46] ended up having money left over in the
[5:47] account that got turned back to the
[5:48] federal government because we did not
[5:50] have people who were interested in that
[5:52] program with the biggest feedback being
[5:53] like, I'd love to do it. I really need a
[5:55] new sign. I just can't go through the
[5:57] process that was there. Uh that we saw
[5:59] with businesses that wanted to do
[6:01] perpendicular signage downtown rather
[6:04] than just uh parallel to the road. We
[6:06] saw that with businesses that were
[6:07] looking at uh doing illuminated signs
[6:10] and have signs that had some type of
[6:11] light on the back that wouldn't be on
[6:13] all night but just have some type of
[6:14] light that's currently prohibited uh
[6:16] under the current zoning code because
[6:17] you can't have certain illuminations on
[6:19] a sign after a certain time frame but
[6:21] the businesses end up staying open past
[6:22] that. So they had to go to the old sign
[6:24] where the light shown on the sign rather
[6:26] than the sign itself being lit. There
[6:28] were uh Sawa uh Asian Beastro that uh
[6:32] just opened over on West Broadway was
[6:34] three inches over what the zoning code
[6:36] allowed uh and had either had to spend
[6:38] money to order a new sign, had to go
[6:41] through a variance process where they
[6:42] had to hire an attorney and spend money
[6:43] that way or just saw the sign 3 in off
[6:46] but that would ruin the lettering uh
[6:48] that was on the sign process that was
[6:49] there. So the sign ended up being almost
[6:51] a year after it was uh ordered before it
[6:53] was eventually hung up again. And the
[6:55] regulations are there for a reason. I
[6:57] don't think anyone thinks that we should
[6:59] get rid of all regulations when it comes
[7:00] to signage around the city because the ordinance is there for a reason and
[7:04] we want to make sure things look clean
[7:06] and look good and are done the right
[7:07] way. But that doesn't mean that we're
[7:09] operating in the best gardener open for
[7:11] business atmosphere. And by moving this
[7:14] from the zoning code into the general
[7:17] code, it allows for a easier turnaround
[7:20] time that we can take that live feedback
[7:22] that we're getting from these businesses
[7:24] and in some cases a reason why some
[7:27] businesses don't choose to come to
[7:29] gardener because if you can't properly
[7:30] advertise for your business, why would
[7:32] you open your business? And making it so
[7:34] that we can update that in real time so
[7:36] we can be more willing to work with
[7:37] people on a more timely basis. There's
[7:40] still opportunities for public feedback
[7:41] as this would still have to go through
[7:43] the regular legislative process if it
[7:44] was to be changed. Uh there would still
[7:47] be opportunities for public input in
[7:49] that uh this would still be a public
[7:51] meeting whether it be before uh standing
[7:53] committee, the city council uh the
[7:56] opportunity to uh contact either the
[7:58] mayor's office or counselors throughout
[7:59] a process for uh input that way. It just
[8:02] makes it so that it's a more uh flexible
[8:05] way of updating the sign code that we
[8:07] have here in the city to make it so that
[8:09] uh we really are uh being amendable to
[8:11] the business community that is taking an
[8:13] interest in gardener but has slowed over
[8:14] recent years and this based off of the
[8:17] feedback that we've been getting as that
[8:18] slowing has happened. This is one of the
[8:20] main things that comes up in almost
[8:21] every conversation that we've had. So
[8:23] I'm happy to answer any further
[8:24] questions uh that people may have on the
[8:26] matter or uh uh take any feedback to.
[8:28] Thank you. Thank you,
[8:28] >> Mr. Mayor.
[8:32] I declare the public hearing open and
[8:34] ask councilors or planning board members
[8:36] to hold their questions until citizens
[8:38] have had the opportunity to speak. Does
[8:41] anyone wish to be heard in favor of the
[8:42] proposed zoning amendment?
[8:45] Does anyone wish to be heard in favor of
[8:46] the proposed zoning amendment?
[8:49] Does anyone wish to be heard in favor of
[8:50] the proposed zoning amendment?
[8:53] Does anyone wish to be heard in
[8:55] opposition of the proposed zoning
[8:56] amendment? Does anyone wish to be heard
[8:59] in opposition of the proposed zoning
[9:00] amendment? Does anyone wish to be heard
[9:03] in opposition proposed zoning amendment?
[9:08] Are there any questions or comments from
[9:09] counselors or planning board members?
[9:14] » Council Mac.
[9:15] >> Thank you. Um, as the, uh, co-sponsor of
[9:20] this um, ordinance with the mayor, um, I
[9:22] just want to highlight again that I
[9:24] think in a lot of different ways, city
[9:26] hall is be trying to become more
[9:27] businessfriendly. Uh, we are trying to,
[9:30] uh, streamline the permit process. Um,
[9:33] and by doing this, we need to focus and
[9:35] make city hall much more supportive to
[9:37] businesses and not uh, resist or become
[9:40] a hindrance. Thank you.
[9:41] >> Thank you, counselor. Does anyone else
[9:43] wish to be heard on the matter?
[9:47] I declare the joint public hearing
[9:48] closed. Thank you.