The moment it went up, the Hotel Concord sign – its large white letters lit from within – became the most visible announcement that travelers on Interstate 93 were passing through New Hampshire’s capital city. The sign, which appears high up on the eastern facade of developer Jamie Simchik’s Capital Commons building, is tasteful and should achieve its goal of attracting overnight visitors. It also never would have been permitted without a variance exempting it from Concord’s strict zoning ordinance governing signs.
Simchik is not the only downtown business owner who wants to announce their existence to travelers on the highway with signage that, for reasons of height, size or location, would normally not be permissible. Concord’s zoning board of adjustment received several requests to erect a nonconforming sign at its last meeting.
The more variances the board grants the more requests it will receive, city zoning administrator Craig Walker warned. Perhaps, he suggested, it’s time to reconsider the city’s rules with respect to signs. We agree. Governing by variances is time-consuming, confusing and raises questions of fairness. Better to revisit the rules and consider how they should be changed to draw shoppers and visitors, the lifeblood of a tourist state, to Concord’s downtown while preserving its historic character.
(Correction: An earlier version of this editorial misspelled Jamie Simchik’s last name and incorrectly referred to Capital Commons as Capitol Commons.)