Planning Board Unanimously Approves Lowell Five Bank Sign Special Permit

TEWKSBURY -- June 15, 2026, Tewksbury Planning Board approves a monument sign for Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank over one member's proximity objection. The board voted 4-1 Monday night to grant a sign special permit to Metro Sign & Awning at 1775 Main Street, allowing a new ground-level monument sign to stand 83 inches tall, 11 inches above the bylaw limit, and sit just 1 foot 8 inches from the street rather than the required 15 feet. Board member Vinny Fratelli cast the lone dissent, saying the sign's closeness to the sidewalk made it "one of five" concessions he was unwilling to make, citing snow-plow damage and vandalism risk. The board conditioned approval on perpetual maintenance, requiring that "any damage or blemishes shall be remedied in a timely manner." A PEPDE Corporation application at 600 Woburn Street was continued to the July 13 meeting, and a GR Development application at 2087 Main Street was withdrawn without prejudice. Fratelli closed the meeting with a presentation on Tewksbury Home Build's completion of 97 Florence Avenue, a town-owned property vacant for 14 years, now sold through a 36-applicant lottery to a single mother from Lawrence.