Key Points:
- Zap’s Barbershop received approval for new signage, but whether its barber pole can rotate remains unresolved.
- The application raised a question about how Wilton’s prohibition on moving signs applies to traditional barber poles.
- A planned zoning rewrite could address signage inconsistencies that have concerned local businesses for years.
Why it Matters: A small detail in one shop’s application highlights uncertainty in the rules governing how Wilton businesses identify themselves and attract customers.
During last week’s meeting of Wilton’s Architectural Review Board (ARB), members encounted an unanswered question in the town’s signage regulations: are spinning barber poles allowed in Wilton?
The question came up during the Nov. 5 meeting as board members, acting in their capacity as the Village District Design Advisory Committee (VDDAC), reviewed an application for new signage by Zap’s Barbershop at the Wilton River Park Shopping Center at 5 River Rd. In addition to an unlighted acrylic storefront sign featuring the Zap’s logo and a door decal showing the shop’s hours, the application also included the installation of a traditional red-, white- and blue-striped barber pole next to the entrance.
Sean Osgood of the Wilton-based graphic design firm Purple Frog Graphics, which is designing and installing the signage, explained that the pole that will be installed at Zap’s has the option to spin or be stationary and can self-illuminate or remain unlit, as the regulations allow.
“I think the regulations say that movement in signs is not allowed, but … the regulations, as far as I could find, are silent on barber poles,” said Assistant Town Planner Daphne White. “So, I’m not sure if that is an exception because it’s something other than a regular sign.”
VDDAC Chair Kevin Quinlan agreed, suggesting that it could be considered more of a light than a sign, which might be a way around the zoning regulations’ prohibition on “rotating, moving or animated” signage.
“I think it would be cool if it moved,” Quinlan said.
“It would be more authentic as long as it wasn’t in violation,” agreed commissioner Jan Hilgeman.
White explained that the decision on whether the barber pole would be allowed to rotate would ultimately need to be made by Zoning Enforcement Officer Timothy Bunting.
After a brief discussion, Quinlan made a motion to approve the proposed signage as presented, “and advocate for the signage movement and illumination pending a little bit further judgment from the town powers that be.” The motion passed unanimously.
Although the review and approval was entirely routine, the question of whether barber poles are allowed to spin in Wilton serves as a pointed reminder that the town has been trying to bring order to its signage guidelines for several years — something that may finally happen as part of the complete overhaul of the zoning regulations coming next year.
Consultant Costs, Funding Questions Delayed Zoning Rewrite
Wilton’s Economic Development Commission (EDC) spearheaded the town’s efforts to address inconsistencies in its commercial signage regulations, including finding ways to increase visibility for businesses whose storefronts do not face streets.
In late 2022, responding to concerns that variations in signage regulations from zone to zone were causing confusion, the EDC undertook an evaluation of existing regulations and a survey of local businesses in order to develop recommendations to present to the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z), to help P&Z revise the signage regulations. The recommendations, completed a year later, identified four areas for improvement including guidelines for better visibility and readability for various types of signs and a streamlined application and approval process.
However, missteps and delays stalled the momentum on the signage initiative. First, a request for proposals (RFP) seeking a consultant to undertake a comprehensive rewrite of the town’s zoning regulations drew bids above the anticipated costs because the RFP had not included a budget cap. A second attempt was delayed by questions about the availability of $100,000 previously budgeted for P&Z consulting fees.
A third attempt was successful, however, and P&Z selected IMEG, a Hartford-based consulting firm, to conduct the rewrite. If all goes according to schedule, IMEG should be ready to roll out the new regulations — the first complete rewrite in over 30 years — in October 2027.
Signage Regulations are Part of a Much Bigger Picture
Signage isn’t the only issue that needs work in the new zoning regulations. Items ranging from fence heights and nonconforming structures to affordable housing ratios and residential building height have all affected discussions and decisions about commercial and residential development in Wilton at a time when the town has to contend with pressures related to state housing requirements and sewer capacity limits.
The planned zoning rewrite could address gaps like the one discovered by the VDDAC last week. Until then, Wilton residents will have to wait for a definitive answer to the question of whether barber poles are allowed to spin in Wilton.
