Loading...
1 ROSELAND AVENUE - SIGN PERMIT — I RoS�lu�1 A�� -- • ��,, v � � � � � V O � � �. ROSEDALE AV K HOUSE FOR SALE i� •l 7 i. � Home Co-oLE 6 ROME FOR SALE rr T r �D S � N d� S m rn z - Cn r� c� n tti S rS S_ rn :J N r1 I7 rn � S riJ A S A � i. �� � �� � ���_ . . . . c FY rr rr ti m � m rn 3 ' �t r,7 n h7 6� t� hJ r rt, n A ~ A June 26, 2004 1 it ULIVr.L✓+ Mr. Frank Taormina 2004 City of Salem Planning Department �QWIOFPV. 120 Washington Street fes" Salem, Ma 01970 Dear Frank: I wish to first express my appreciation and thanks to you for the time and patience afforded me in a review of the provisions of our Salem Zoning Ordinances, regarding the rights, duties, benefits and obligations, inuring to the residents of our Residence 1 Zoning Districts, as more especially concerns the posting of signs, that we discussed at the conference we had at your office recently. I regret not being able to get this out to you sooner, as I had hoped to. This letter is primarily intended as my formal complaint, concerning the flagrant violation of the City of Salem's Zoning By-laws by the Residential and Commercial Brokerage industry in its proliferation of signs to promote the advertising of residences and commercial properties for sale on the open general market. In my effort to set forth, to some extent the nature and extent of these violations, it is my hope and expectation that your Planning Board and the City of Salem Building Department will make the necessary immediate effort to investigate and determine what violations of our Ordinances are taking place, who is responsible for these violations, and that all parties concerned will be caused to cease and desist the continued ongoing activities that constitute continuing violations of our Zoning Ordinances, and will be sanctioned and penalized for their neglect, or refusal, to conform to our Zoning By-laws. I submit that it is important that such violations of our Ordinances be stopped, because the overall situation is worsening. I further submit that most people do not have the time, nor the inclination, to make formal complaints about these matters, because they have confidence that our Building Department and Planning Department, to whom they have entrusted the custody and control of the subject matter of our Ordinances are policing and enforcing these ordinances. I experienced a personal affront expressed by the person supposedly in charge of one of these real estate agencies, which illustrates their arrogance, when I requested that they remove some objectionable signs posted at the corner intersection of Lafayette Street and Rosedale Avenue in Salem. I called and demanded that it be done immediately on the day I called, because the signs had been there for at least a month. At our conference I gave you some photographs of the offensive signs in question and, at that conference, I explained to you that I had called the offending agency, being The Home Coop, with offices at 5 Essex Green Drive, Peabody, Massachusetts. The pictures of the signs I felt offensive were nailed to the electric light pole at least one month, before my call to the agency. One picture shows what I had to look at every time I went by the bay window in my living room, which looks out onto Salem Harbor, across from my home on Lafayette Street, or when I sat in my living room and looked out the bay window. The distraction, created by the multi-colored sign, was offensive. The market for housing sales being such as it is, caused many houses in this area being offered for unrealistic high prices, also caused unusually active real estate brokerage activity in the -2- subject area. With that activity came the posting of nailed-up signs on the posts and portable signs on the grass plots, in this 30 to 40 houses in the area that stems off Rosedale Avenue along the Forest River area. The signs posted by The Home Coop were most offensive, there being one on each side of the electric light post to attract the public coming from either direction. I believed that the signs would be up for maybe a week or so, but when these signs were not removed, after at least a month's duration before my call, it was time to demand that they be removed. On May 26, 2004, 1 called Home Coop about 11:40 a.m. and spoke with a Mr. Paul Rollo, who I was given to understand, by the woman answering the phone, that she was transferring my call to the manager, or CEO, or the person in charge in any event. Mr. Rollo answered the phone and I asked him to identify himself, as to whether he was the owner, or the manager, or whatever his position with the company was, and I did not receive an answer, except to say, "How can I help you?" I told Mr. Rollo that his firm had placed the subject signs on the post of Lafayette St. and Rosedale Avenue and demanded that they take the signs down that day, since I had been looking at them for a month, at least,before my call to him and that he should send somebody over to take them down. I suggested to Mr. Rollo that the signs were illegally posted, they violated City Ordinances on signage, and presented a danger to Massachusetts Electric and Telephone Company repairmen, who had to climb these posts in an emergency and could tangle their equipment in the signs. Mr. Rollo immediately began to fence with me, about my rights with regard to the signs, and then suddenly had the audacity to slam the receiver down to end the conversation. I was not too surprised at Mr. Rollo's reaction, since I am sure he was well aware that placement of these signs was illegal and I was probably one of many people,who were taking him to task for it. What really bothered me has been the trashing of a fine Residential 1 area by people like Mr. Rollo. I ask that a Cease and Desist letter be sent to The Home Coop, to immediately remove the signs and that they be informed, as I understand the Ordinance, it provides for a penalty of$100 per day for each day, after the effective date of the Cease and Desist order, until they remove the offensive signage. In fact, your Cease and Desist and Removal Order could be made to apply to the entire City of Salem, because I have also seen similar"The Home Coop" signs posted around the City of Salem on telephone and electric light poles. As concerns The Home Coop,they have not removed their signs, to date, and will not do so, until threatened with loss of license, or some fines and jail time, for Mr. Roillo. They have thus failed to do so, when so requested on May 26, which is now a month ago. 1 have been pleased at the stand thaur City Departments will take action on these violations, no matter what company is perpetrating them, and if I may be of any assistance, in any regard, please let me know. Sincerely, f Richard arson 1 Rosedale Avenue Salem, MA 01970 (IIe7� X44- "1121