Design Review Board backs muted palette, two-sided signage for commercial renovation

WAYLAND — June 6, 2024 — Wayland Design Review Board steers commercial renovation toward muted colors and two-sided signage. Meeting June 6, the board advised the project's owners and architect to choose the lower-contrast of two facade color schemes, citing compatibility with the historic homes across the street and warning that a bolder palette would make the building itself read as "a sign." Members voted 3-0 to recommend signs on both the north and west elevations, with one member noting that under the bylaw, sign "dimensions set forth in the zoning bylaw apply in the aggregate to all signs on the lot" and that prior approvals for the Carapezza building would not carry forward. The board also flagged the lack of a landscaping plan and unscreened rooftop air conditioners. After the applicants left, members vented that they are "tired of not having any teeth," citing unfinished signage at Mon Tengrill and the former Whole Foods site.