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November 26, 2024
Zoning Board of Appeals
Salem City Hall
93 Washington Street
Salem, Massachusetts 01970
RE: 253 Essex Street Sign Permit Denial Appeal
Board Members of the Zoning Board of Appeals,
The agenda for the December 18 Zoning Board of Appeals meeting includes an appeal of the
Building Commissioner's decision denying a sign permit at 253 Essex Street. I am writing to
provide background information for the ZBA as it considers the appeal request.
Building Tenants
The buildings at 253 and 259 Essex Street comprise the former Santander Bank. The buildings
are currently leased by Blackcraft Salem, LLC and Blackcraft Haunt, LLC. In 253 Essex Street,
there are two businesses operating under the same legal entity, Blackcraft Salem, LLC. The
primary business which opened in 2022 is Blackcraft Salem. The second business, Blackcraft
Coffee, began operations within the store in 2023. A third business, Haunt Blackcraft, operated
by a related entity, is located at 259 Essex Street.
Signage
The Salem Redevelopment Authority (SRA) and its Design Review Board (DRB) review all sign
applications with the downtown renewal district. Signage must comply with the Salem Sign
Ordinance and the SRA Sign Manual.
When Blackcraft Salem opened in 2022, they applied for and received a sign permit at the
storefront entrance located at 253 Essex Street. In July 2024, a sign for Blackcraft Coffee, which
is also located at 253 Essex Street, was erected at the storefront entrance at 259 Essex Street.
The sign was erected without receiving a permit. City staff informed Kirstie Philips, a co-owner
of Blackcraft Salem, that the sign needed to be permitted by the SRA and DRB. Concurrently,
the owner wanted to erect a sign for Haunt Blackcraft, located at 259 Essex Street, to be
erected on the facade of 259 Essex Street but not by the storefront entrance.
Both sign permit applications were submitted to the DRB for their review at the August 2024
meeting. The DRB recommended approval of the Blackcraft Coffee sign permit application and
continued the Haunt Blackcraft sign permit application to the September 2024 meeting.
After the August 2024 DRB meeting, staff internally discovered an error. The Blackcraft Coffee
sign had been installed at the doorway to 259 Essex Street although the coffee shop is located
at 253 Essex Street. Although the operator is related, there is no open access to Blackcraft
Coffee from 259 Essex Street. The doorway at 259 Essex Street actually serves as the exit for
the business located there (Haunt Blackcraft). Haunt Blackcraft's entrance is at the rear of the
building off of Barton Square. The image below showcases the front of 253 Essex Street and 259
Essex Street.
253 Essex Street
i
r 259 Essex Street
Entrance
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Blackcraft Salem'
Projecting Sig ,
259 Essen St Hwnt Sign
Doorway
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The City Sign Ordinance allows for only one projecting sign per entrance which is stated as
follows:
Chapter 4-Advertising, Article II. Signs and Billboards, Sec. 4-51. - On premises signs in
nonresidential districts states:
(4) A sign attached at right angles to a building, provided that such sign has no more than two
faces and:
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a. There is no more than one such sign for each entrance door to a business
establishment
The Building Commissioner's denial references this Section 4-51(4)a. of the Sign Ordinance.
Staff notes here that the Blackcraft Coffee sign might also be considered an off-premise sign
which is prohibited in Section 4-59.
Staff notes there are examples of where two co-located businesses share one sign bracket at
the storefront entrance. The maximum sign area is shared between the two businesses. One
example is Wicked Good Books and Silly Bunny Toys located at 260 Essex Street. This photo
showcases their signage:
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I hope this additional background and facts are useful to you as you deliberate on the appeal.
Sincerely,
Tom Daniel, AICP
Director
Planning and Community Development
City of Salem
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