Northampton ZBA Approves Walmart Pickup Signage, Florence Bungalow Rebuild Unanimously

NORTHAMPTON — May 14, 2026 — Northampton Zoning Board clears Walmart pickup signage and Florence bungalow rebuild in back-to-back unanimous votes. The three-member Zoning Board of Appeals, chaired by Maureen Scanlon and joined by Erin Irvin and Sherry Taylor, voted 3-0 on both special permits at its May 14 meeting. Sign Crafters representative Heather Werner presented a plan expanding the North King Street Walmart from three approved wall signs to five, plus 14 ground-level wayfinding signs for a new curbside pickup operation; the board approved it with one condition, requiring a left-arrow directional sign to be shifted from beside the Bank of America drive-up to a landscaped island directly in the path of entering drivers. For 26 House Street in Florence, architect Emily Estes of Estes Architecture and Design explained that owner Linda Madsen's mid-century Cape — set just two feet six inches from the property line — was demolished in April after a feasibility review found foundation failure and inadequate ceiling height, only for the replacement bungalow's attached garage to trigger a new zoning violation; the board found the new nonconformity "far less impactful" than the old one and granted the permit 3-0. The board also noted that member David Bloomberg has formally resigned effective July 1, 2026, after more than 25 years of service.