A reader wrote to ask the following: “Any comment on the size of signage in Wellesley. It seems like the signs in Wellesley are becoming more and more difficult to see because they’re becoming nearly microscopic in size.”
The reader cited the size difference between signs for the newer (Rte. 9 east, shown above) and older (Rte. 9 west, shown below) Dunkin’ Donuts shops that stand roughly across from each other, as well as some of the signs in Linden Square (Roche Bros. and CVS ones are big, some of the others aren’t).
Can’t say we’d really noticed this, but we asked Wellesley Planning Director Meghan Jop if she could shed any light on this topic. And indeed, our reader wasn’t imagining things.
Jop wrote: “The Sign Bylaw was updated in 2010. The provisions in regards to size were not changed, but the bylaw became more comprehensive. The location of signs does play a part. Businesses on Route 9 are afforded greater letter height and square footage than signs on Linden Street, Central Street, or Washington Street. The only thing that has changed is enforcement. The Town has been much stricter over the past 2-3 years, even hiring a third building inspector to help enforce signage.”
So, this actually wouldn’t really account for a size difference in the Dunkin’ Donuts signs since Rte. 9 rules appear to be a bit looser (though indeed the Rte. 9 west sign is bigger than the Rte. 9 east sign, even if these photos don’t exactly do the size difference justice). But there you have it, a sign of the times.
I greatly appreciate the town’s attention to enforcing the sign bylaw. Because of a longstanding bylaw and enforcement, the signs along Natick’s section of Rte. 9 have improved the look of that stretch of highway considerably. I think it important that Wellesley, too, attend to the aesthetics of this busy road. More signs and larger signs create visual clutter and confusion.