Northampton ZBA Continues Cooley Dickinson Sign Permit to April 9

NORTHAMPTON — March 26, 2026 — Northampton's Zoning Board of Appeals continued a Cooley Dickinson Hospital sign permit application to April 9 after members could not reach the required unanimous vote on a proposed illuminated wall sign. The board — Chair David Bloomberg, Elizabeth Silver, and Maureen Scanlon — heard a presentation from Gunnar McCormick of Magnolia Sign Company on a halo-lit panel reading "You Are Welcome Here," described by hospital executive director of operations Kathy Reed as a "donor plaque" funded by an anonymous community donor wanting to affirm the hospital's commitment to inclusive care. The sign, proposed for the new emergency department entrance at 30 Locust Street, would be the hospital's fourth wall-mounted sign; zoning allows one. Scanlon, citing light pollution and navigational concerns, said lighting was her central objection, and told the board a timer or dimmer would not resolve it: "I feel pretty strongly that that's enough ambient light." Three written public comments — from Donald L. Darnell, veterinarian Christina White of Florence, and Wendy Berg — urged the board to require full lighting-ordinance compliance or deny illumination altogether. The board voted three to zero to continue the hearing so the hospital can determine whether the donor will accept an unlighted sign.