Southborough tricentennial committee forwards temporary banner bylaw to planning board

The Town of Southborough Tricentennial Committee voted Feb. 11 to ask the Planning Board to carry a warrant article adding a temporary banner subsection to the town zoning bylaw to permit and regulate tricentennial signage.

The proposed addition, described by committee members as an insertion to section 174-11(c), would allow three banner uses: on town-owned property, within the public way (explicitly including utility and light poles) and on nonresidential sponsor properties. The draft sets a display window from Aug. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2027, with all banners to be removed by Jan. 31, 2028.

Patty, a committee member who moved the motion, summarized the proposal and the committee’s authority over display content. As she read aloud, “banners displayed on town property or within public way shall be deemed official town speech and town shall retain ownership and control over the content design placement maintenance and removal.” The motion to forward the article to the Planning Board, with any additional changes proposed by that board, was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Committee discussion preceding the vote focused on mechanics and approvals: the draft adds a parenthetical to the bylaw text to include utility/light poles and inserts references to illumination standards. Sponsor banners on private parcels would still require the usual approvals; the committee intends the select board to review and the Friends (the event fundraising group) to coordinate sponsor-produced banners.

The committee recorded the voice vote as approving the motion and directed staff to submit the draft text to the town planning office for placement on the warrant and subsequent Planning Board review. The action does not itself change the bylaw — it requests the Planning Board and, ultimately, the warrant process to consider the amendment at town meeting.

Next steps: staff (Vanessa) will forward the amended copy to the Planning Board and coordinate any edits it proposes before the article is finalized for the spring warrant.