A bad sign of the times in Hempstead
The Hempstead City Council made a big mistake last week when it denied Vicky’s Italian Seafood and Grill’s appeal of the Historic Preservation District’s denial of its sign because the letters are too big.
Restaurant owner Virginia Wences went to City Hall for all the necessary permits and paperwork to open a new restaurant at the corner of 10th and Wilkins streets. Other restaurants have operated in the building before.
Unaware of the small print in her documents informing her of the restrictions on letter size for signs in Hempstead’s historic district, she erected a sign very similar to what had been there before. But the letters were six inches too big and the sign police nailed her.
Wences was scheduled to go before the Historic Preservation District’s board, but missed the meeting due to a miscommunication. Because she wasn’t there, the board denied her request for the larger letters.
She appealed to the city council, which, following the direction of Mayor Michael Wolfe, also denied her appeal. Their main points were that the sign was in violation, she had been given the information about the signs, and the council did not want to set a bad precedent by overruling the historic preservation board.
To the city’s credit, the blame for the mistakes is undeniably Wences. The economic and public relations blunder, however, rests with the city. What the council did not consider was the anti-business message it sent. What it did was cause an unnecessary hardship for an upstart business, which the community desperately needs.
The way I see it, the historical board and the city council have violated the pitch they made in creating the historic preservation district last year when they said the purpose was to protect the historical integrity of the town, not to nitpick every little thing with business owners.
The building is being used for the same thing it was last used for – a restaurant. The sign is consistent with prior signage. There was no significant alteration to the building or the sign on which the offending letters are placed. As an added insult, the city made Wences cover the sign until it can be brought into compliance.
She was willing to change the letters, but was asking for a two-year exemption to give her time to get established and to have financing to do it. Granting a two-year exemption is not the same as going against the historical board. If it were a permanent exemption, that would be one thing. If the sign were completely new and gaudy and offensive to what city hall wants the downtown to be, I could see denying it. But to pick nits over something that is essentially the same as what came before it, that is too much.
If I ever had any thoughts about starting a business in Hempstead, they would have been dashed by the city council at the last meeting. I would want to run a business in a community that welcomed me, made me feel wanted and worked with me to make my business a success.
I wholeheartedly agree with the need to preserve historic buildings and to establish building codes. At the same time, I dislike government meddling in this fashion and telling a business owner what can and cannot be done to their own property. There has to be an acceptable middle ground here somewhere. This however, is far from it.
This is also far from the only complaint I’ve heard from business owners about the historic preservation board. It’s high time the city rein in the monster it created.
Cold enough for you?
Let me first say that I do not like the cold. If I had to choose between living in Phoenix or Anchorage, I’d be a long time in Arizona. That being said, I find it amusing to hear people complain about how cold it is with temperatures dropping near the freezing mark at night.
At the same time, many of my friends in Colorado are posting lows on Facebook that range from 10 degrees to -20 degrees. I went to Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo., and it was not unusual to reach the -30s. I don’t know how many times we had to trudge to class in sub-zero temperatures. But hey, it was a dry cold.
From there I moved to Minnesota. Same frigid temps, but the humidity gave cold a whole new meaning.
Having grown up and lived most of my life in colder climates, I can say that what passes for cold here is just a chill. But it’s a humid chill and I’ll be very happy when it passes.
Restaurant owner Virginia Wences went to City Hall for all the necessary permits and paperwork to open a new restaurant at the corner of 10th and Wilkins streets. Other restaurants have operated in the building before.
Unaware of the small print in her documents informing her of the restrictions on letter size for signs in Hempstead’s historic district, she erected a sign very similar to what had been there before. But the letters were six inches too big and the sign police nailed her.
Wences was scheduled to go before the Historic Preservation District’s board, but missed the meeting due to a miscommunication. Because she wasn’t there, the board denied her request for the larger letters.
She appealed to the city council, which, following the direction of Mayor Michael Wolfe, also denied her appeal. Their main points were that the sign was in violation, she had been given the information about the signs, and the council did not want to set a bad precedent by overruling the historic preservation board.
To the city’s credit, the blame for the mistakes is undeniably Wences. The economic and public relations blunder, however, rests with the city. What the council did not consider was the anti-business message it sent. What it did was cause an unnecessary hardship for an upstart business, which the community desperately needs.
The way I see it, the historical board and the city council have violated the pitch they made in creating the historic preservation district last year when they said the purpose was to protect the historical integrity of the town, not to nitpick every little thing with business owners.
The building is being used for the same thing it was last used for – a restaurant. The sign is consistent with prior signage. There was no significant alteration to the building or the sign on which the offending letters are placed. As an added insult, the city made Wences cover the sign until it can be brought into compliance.
She was willing to change the letters, but was asking for a two-year exemption to give her time to get established and to have financing to do it. Granting a two-year exemption is not the same as going against the historical board. If it were a permanent exemption, that would be one thing. If the sign were completely new and gaudy and offensive to what city hall wants the downtown to be, I could see denying it. But to pick nits over something that is essentially the same as what came before it, that is too much.
If I ever had any thoughts about starting a business in Hempstead, they would have been dashed by the city council at the last meeting. I would want to run a business in a community that welcomed me, made me feel wanted and worked with me to make my business a success.
I wholeheartedly agree with the need to preserve historic buildings and to establish building codes. At the same time, I dislike government meddling in this fashion and telling a business owner what can and cannot be done to their own property. There has to be an acceptable middle ground here somewhere. This however, is far from it.
This is also far from the only complaint I’ve heard from business owners about the historic preservation board. It’s high time the city rein in the monster it created.
Cold enough for you?
Let me first say that I do not like the cold. If I had to choose between living in Phoenix or Anchorage, I’d be a long time in Arizona. That being said, I find it amusing to hear people complain about how cold it is with temperatures dropping near the freezing mark at night.
At the same time, many of my friends in Colorado are posting lows on Facebook that range from 10 degrees to -20 degrees. I went to Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo., and it was not unusual to reach the -30s. I don’t know how many times we had to trudge to class in sub-zero temperatures. But hey, it was a dry cold.
From there I moved to Minnesota. Same frigid temps, but the humidity gave cold a whole new meaning.
Having grown up and lived most of my life in colder climates, I can say that what passes for cold here is just a chill. But it’s a humid chill and I’ll be very happy when it passes.
posted by Joe Southern | 9:36 AM
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