New regulations for town’s Historic District

SHARON — The Sharon Historic District Commission has published new regulations concerning signs. These regulations apply only in the Historic District, which is Calkinstown Road to the intersection with Jewett Hill Road, Gay Street, North Main Street, Main Street, Upper Main Street, South Main Street, Amenia Union Road to the intersection with Boland Road, Boland Road and West Woods Road No. 1 to the intersection with Boland Road.The new regulations can be found online at www.sharonct.org. Click on Your Government at the top, then click on Committees Boards & Task Forces, then click on Historic District Commission. Many of the new regulations relate to signage. They include the following:• Temporary signs to be erected for three days or less do not require approval of the commission, provided they are removed after the three-day period. Temporary signs to be erected for more than three days will require commission approval.• Signs can be no larger than 9 square feet and must be appropriately designed for the area. A maximum of three signs, from three different organizations, can be erected at one location. Temporary signs can be erected no more than 10 days before an event and must be removed after three days.• For all other nontemporary signs, a certificate of appropriateness must be obtained from the commission. • All nontemporary signs must be no larger than 9 square feet and be made of wood.• Signs should be rectangular or square and should be printed in a traditional style to conform with the general aspect of the Historic District. A white background with black lettering is preferred.• When a building with an existing sign is sold, or there is any change in tenants, a new certificate of appropriateness must be obtained from the commission.• Real estate signs must be removed once a property is sold.• For annual events, once a sign has been granted a certificate of appropriateness, it will remain in effect from year to year unless the sign undergoes significant change.Applications are available at the Town Hall and must be filed at a commission meeting. The commission meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at Town Hall. A public hearing on all applications will be held the following month after received.

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