BIT BAR SIGN PACKAGE5/13/2021 OpenGov
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05/13/2021
City of Salem, MA
SP-21-42
Sign Permit
DPCD Decision:
Property Owner
Property Information
Sign Owner
Status: Active Date Created: May 13, 2021
Applicant
Gideon Coltof
gideon@bit.bar
181 DAVIS AVENUE
#2
Brookline, MA 02445
6178347920
Location
278 282 DERBY STREET
SALEM, MA 01970
Owner:
RCG 282 DERBY STREET LLC;C/O RCG LLC
17 IVALOO STREET SOMERVILLE, MA 02143
Owner Telephone
(617) 625-8315
Owner Email
jgagnon@rcg-llc.com
Owner Name
Jim Gagnon
Select one: Erect/Alter/Repair Sign
Erect
Special District(s)
Urban Renewal Area
Zoning
B5
Is the Sign owner the same as the applicant?
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Building Uses
Frontage in Linear Feet
Proposed Signs
Cost
1st Floor
Retail
2nd Floor
Residential
Are there multiple businesses on the property?
Yes
How many businesses are on the property?
Three or more (3+)
Building Frontage (ft)
185
Applicant's Space Frontage (ft)
75.5
Property/Lot Frontage (ft)
220
How many signs are proposed?
1
Sign 1 Materials
Metal
Sign 1 Type
Wall Sign
Sign 1 Dimensions: Height (ft)
1.7
Sign 1 Dimensions: Width (ft)
3
Sign 1 Area (sq ft)
5.1
Sign 1 Height from ground to top of the sign (ft)
4
Estimated Cost in Dollars of Net Work (fabrication and installation)
150
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Existing Signs
Sign Erector
Signature
How many Existing Signs are on the Property?
2
Type of Existing Sign- Sign 1
Wall Sign
Existing Sign 1 Area (sq ft)
177
Is Existing Sign #1 to be removed?
Type of Existing Sign- Sign 2
Right Angle to Building
Existing Sign 2 Area (sq ft)
13
Is Existing Sign #2 to be removed?
Name
Metro Sign & Awning
Telephone
978.851.2424
Address
170 Lorum St Tewksbury, MA 01876
Email
DanaS@metrosign.net
Applicant Signature
Gideon Coltof
05/13/2021
GREATER BOSTON’S FIRST AND SALEM’S VERY OWN
CITY OF SALEM
SIGNAGE PROPOSAL
INTRO
Bit Bar Salem is Greater Boston’s first, and Salem’s
very own classic arcade, bar, restaurant, and (hope-
fully soon) KTV spot! We offer the community a place to
gather with friends and family to imbibe local craft beers
and innovative cocktails, eat delicious food from local
businesses like Walden meats, and play classic arcade
games and pinball. Open until 8pm to children and teens,
we provide an important welcoming space more import-
ant now with the stresses of the last difficult 18months.
We have overcome much in the last year and are grate-
fully positioned to expand into the old Salem Beer Works
space located at 278 Derby St which will provide a private
event space, more jobs, more games, a more diverse menu,
and more opportunities for memories to be made!
Recently, we completed a successful $51,000 GoFundMe
campaign attracting over 250 individual donors. We have
the support of the community—and now we need your
support in preparing the exterior for business!
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND HELP
IN PREPARING FOR BUSINESS!
CREATIVE COMFORT FOOD
WITH GRASS-FED MEATS
CRAFT LOCAL BREWS
& SPECIALTY COCKTAILS
EVENTS INCLUDE CLASSIC CONSOLE
NIGHTS, TOURNAMENTS, TRIVIA,
KARAOKE, AND MORE!
30+ rotating
classic games and pins
THE PLAN!
The 278 Derby Street location has a unique street situa-
tion as it is angled away from the street and set back.
Previous wall signage was arranged along three facets
of the facade and comprised a combined total of 177sf. As
our logo is more compact, we would like to significantly
decrease the footprint of our wall sign to 58sf. This sign,
situated above the front door, will help direct people to
the main entrance. Steady glowing, teal LED strip lighting
in a subtle line around the doorway window block will
help direct the eye up towards the sign, making it clear
where to enter.
We would also like to save resources and investment by
retrofitting and reusing our two signs currently installed
at the Old Salem Jail. Our existing square blade sign would
be reused as the blade sign above the Derby Street side-
walk providing visibility perpendicular to the building.
Our second currently vertical blade sign would be rotated
90 degrees, and converted into a wall sign and mounted
above the patio to be visible to potential customers com-
ing from Notch Brewing and across the street.
To attract visitors and enhance what is currently a rusty
and shabby finish, we would like to paint the low patio
walls our restaurant’s signature teal color.
Details of these proposed elements will be discussed below.
30+ rotating
classic games and pins
Located above the entrance with the greatest visibility
this will be our main sign to identify the front entrance
for visitors. This sign will feature a version of our logo that
includes an arcade cabinet to communicate that we offer
the unique experience of classic arcade games at our bar
and restaurant.
The size will be significantly smaller than the old Salem
Beer Works signage (59sf vs 177sf), as well as to the
Waters and Brown sign across the street (70sf), and it will
ENTRY SIGN
be positioned in the historical location
previously used by Salem Beer Works
for 25 years.
The sign would measure approximately
10’x6’ and would encompass 59sf. This
size would line up with the window block
to be harmonious with the architecture.
Due to the more rectangular nature of
our logo than the old Salem Beer Works
logotype, the height size is limited and
we would like to ensure it is visible at
night as well as during the day. As a tree
is located on the sidewalk and obscures
the visibility, direct mount standard
front lit channel letters would work
best for this unique area.
We have considered other options for
lighting, but feel that this method allows
us to highlight the architecture of the
existing brickwork.
Front lighting will provide focused, less
diffused light with less wasted outside
the letters and dispersing on the wall.
This strategy will reduce the amount of
light required as it will be targeted to
within the logo and letters themselves.
Halo lit signage creates a silhouette
which would be detrimental to the
detailed nature of our logo which at
Old signage which has been there for twenty-five years.
Our proposed new main entrance sign.
night would result in the viewer seeing a silhouette without
the color and detail. For this reason, we worry, from a tech-
nical standpoint, about the ability to clearly read our sign
using this halo lighting.
The advantage of channel vs push through in this area
is that we are allowing the natural architecture of the
building to show through the brick and minimize the
sign’s obtrusiveness.
Our proposed design allows us to create a sharp readable
logo without being overly ostentatious or creating wasted
lighting outside of the logo forms. The proposed design
attempts to be sensitive to the historic nature of Salem
while recognizing the unique sign language in this area
of Derby Street which features high, and large signs and
does not present a glaring or obtrusive presence that
would overwhelm the neighborhood or architecture.
Push-through would not be as attractive as the brick-
work of the architecture would not show as a large
backer would be required. View with Waters and Brown right across the street.
Visible to people walking along the sidewalk, we pro-
pose replacing the neon Salem Beer Works blade sign
with a repurposed blade sign from our existing location
at the Old Salem Jail. This straightforward reuse will
save substantial resources and investment.
This blade sign features push-through lighting and
measures 48”x54” (4’x4.5’) and encompasses 18 sf
which is similar in size to the old sign located at this
position. This sign would be located at least 8’ above
the sidewalk.
Old Salem Beer Works sign.
Re-using blade sign from the previous location.
SIDEWALK
BLADE SIGN
Re-using blade sign from the previous location.
As our main sign is angled with the building, we would
like to install a sign above the patio entrance to enhance
visibility from across the street. As with the blade sign,
we plan to save resources and investment by retrofitting
and reusing a sign currently located at our Old Salem
Jail location.
This wall sign features push-through lighting and measures
78”x39” (6.5’x3.25’) encompassing 21sf. and would be
mounted above the patio door.
PATIO
WALL SIGN
Wall sign above the patio entrance will be clearly visible
from across the street and allow us to creatively reuse an
old sign that we already invested in.
On the street-facing low patio wall, we plan to post
words in black lettering:
BAR · KTVARCADE
RESTAURANT
Communicating to the public that we offer all of these
individual attractions. This sign will help complete messaging
of our diverse offerings. This wall sign will be unlit and
measures 36”x20” (3’x1.8’) encompassess ~5sf. and would
be mounted along the low wall.
PATIO WALL
LETTERING
Lettering on the low patio wall to communicate the
multiple facets of our business.
SIGNAGE
NOTES
All told, our sign proposal calls for installation of a total of
98sf of signage which, while 23sf more than the officially
permitted 75sf, represents a 50% decrease from the 190sf
currently installed on site.
We feel that the current plan is fair given the presence of
several other very large signs on this wide block that far
exceed the official limit, most notably the massive Waters
and Brown sign directly across the street, and because the
existing Salem Beer Works sign has been there for a
quarter century.
Also, the top of our main sign currently stands at 27ft,
which is 2ft higher than the 25ft regulation. On this point
I again point out that the existing Salem Beer Works sign
has stood at this height for 25 years and our sign will be
much smaller.
Given the existing character of this neighborhood, plus our
feeling that the presence of existing high and large signage
should grandfather us in, I will be requesting a pair of
variances to permit the modest 18sf overage, and 2ft
elevation increase.
“There are conversation pieces and natural shared
experiences, and you find yourself breaking into
conversation with people about all sorts of
things, the games being a catalyst for that.”
— quoted in Take Magazine
LED STRIP
LIGHTING
LED Strip lighting neon would allow for an environmen-
tally friendly, thin, controlled glow around the entrance
window block.
Around the edges of the squares above the patio
entrance would help accent the square shape of the
architecture and ties in with our logo and branding.
This area is solid opaque black.In order to highlight the entrance and to accentuate the
height of the building and the architectural element of the
entrance window block, we would like to install LED strip
lighting neon around the edges that would glow a steady
teal. This lighting will draw the eye up toward the logo and
more importantly, emphasize the entrance ensuring they
enter through the correct entrance.
Above the patio entrance, we plan to install additional
teal lighting strip to highlight the existing square architec-
tural elements in the opaque black areas above the
doorway to tie in with the main entrance.
These subtle lighting effects play into the overall look
and feel of the exterior plan and help to effectively and
tastefully position our business for success.
We propose to repurpose the existing uplighting used
to illuminate the old Salem Beer Works logo to create
a subtle uplighting glow on either side of our logo. We
would change the color to our trademark teal in order
to accent the brick and provide an atmospheric glow. This
subtle, but attractive effect will frame the logo and
further highlight the architecture.
Old Salem Beer Works sign lighting from below.
BRICK
UPLIGHTING
View of the lighting strips that uplight the brick.
To attract visitors and improve what is now a rusty
and shabby finish, we plan to paint the low patio walls
our trademark teal color. Visitors walking down the side-
walk will be attracted to the patio and we feel this will
enhance the overall vibe and feel of the location.
To accent the attractive architectural elements on
either side of the main door and enhance the vertical
nature of the entrance, we propose adding copper paint
in two strips within the inside of the column elements.
ACCENT
PAINT
Modern Masters copper for the right and left of the door
architectural elements.
Sherwin Williams exteiror paint for the low patio wall.
INTERIOR DESIGN
SNEAK PEEK
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND HELP
IN PREPARING FOR BUSINESS!
GREATER BOSTON’S FIRST AND SALEM’S VERY OWN
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION