TOWN OF LOCKPORT
Hearing set for design review law
LOCKPORT — The Town Board on Wednesday scheduled an Oct. 8 public hearing on amendments to its two-month-old architectural and design review law.
The move came on the same day a Planning Board work session scheduled a vote Tuesday on whether the proposed Wal-Mart supercenter it already approved should be allowed to change the logo on the front of the building from white lettering on a dark blue background to light blue lettering on a tan background.
“In most towns, this would be considered details, but here, they’re important,” said Steve Cleason, a Rochester engineer working for Wal-Mart.
The retailer recently changed the design of its logo, which includes a yellow asterisk at the end of the company name. Architect Robert Klemple of Tulsa, Okla., said Wal-Mart calls that “the spark.”
Planning Board Member David
R. Kinyon disliked it. “I think it’s a significant change,” he said.
“I don’t,” commented board colleague William Few.
“It’s very important to [Wal- Mart],” Cleason said. “We hope the board agrees it’s not a material change.”
Also Wednesday, the Planning Board voted on whether State Farm insurance agent Julie Coy should be allowed to add a small peak to the roof of her office on South Transit Road, and whether it was all right for her to place gray vinyl siding over the white interior of the former house she uses as an office. The board gave her the go-ahead.
Town Attorney Daniel E. Seaman said the amendments to the design law “bring economic considerations into play.” It says new or altered buildings must not drag down the property values of nearby buildings, but it cuts back on architectural review of work on existing buildings, saying their existing features must be taken into account.
“Requiring major architectural renovation of a building for reuse would not be very productive,” Seaman said.
