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i <br /> Article 38. <br /> To see if the Town will vote to amend the Zoning By-law as follows: <br /> By amending Article II Definitions, § 174-3, by inserting the following definition after <br /> MARINA and before NONCONFORMING LOT: <br /> "NONCOMMERCIAL SIGN - A sign that does not direct attention to a business or to a service <br /> or commodity for sale, and is of a political, religious and/or ideological nature. <br /> And by amending Article X(Signs) as follows: <br /> A. Section 174-51B currently reads: New Signs. A new sign shall not hereafter be erected, <br /> constructed, altered or maintained except as herein provided and until after a permit has been <br /> issued by the Building Inspector and the bond, if required, shall have been filed in accordance <br /> with Section 174-57. Signs over twenty (20) square feet, existing as of the effective date of this <br /> chapter shall have their continued use subject to the issuance of a permit from the Building <br /> Inspector. The deadline for obtaining such a permit is September 1, 1985. Any sign over six (6) <br /> square feet in a commercial or industrial zoning district, or in a commercial, office or industrial <br /> use in a residential zoning district, shall require review and comment by the Design Review <br /> Committee prior to the issuance of a permit for said sign by the Building Inspector. <br /> I. Deleting the second sentence in Section 174-51B and replacing it with: <br /> Pre-existing permitting signs may continue, all other signs must be permitted as required <br /> by this Bylaw. Any sign allowed under this Bylaw may, in lieu of any specified copy, <br /> contain any otherwise lawful, noncommercial message that does not direct attention to a <br /> business or to a service or to a commodity for sale. <br /> Explanation: To reflect changes to this article, as it currently refers to 1985. The second <br /> sentence provides for on-premise signs (as regulated§174-54 and§ 174-55) that contain non- <br /> commercial messages involving religious, political, or other ideological statements. Such speech <br /> has been found to be protected under First Amendment rights and the regulation of such speech <br /> would violate the constitution. The Town's Sign By-law is also to be changed, deleting the <br /> section regulating time limits on political signs, as such signs are protected by the First <br /> Amendment. <br /> II. Also by making the following changes to the last sentence of Section 174-51B: <br /> All signs over six (6) square feet shall require review and comment by the Design Review <br /> Committee prior to the issuance of a permit for said sign by the Building Inspector. <br /> Explanation: Changing any to all provides more clarity. Deleting specifically identified areas <br /> will provide that all signs over six square feet can have Design Review comment and review. <br /> B. Section 174-51D currently reads: New signs exceeding twenty (20) square feet require a j <br /> special permit from the Board of Appeals, in accordance with Article VI. <br />