Tenant in landmark downtown building connected to Lynn council prez needs lesson in law

LYNN – City Council President Timothy Phelan may have helped write a strict local sign law, but the newest tenant in his family’s Washington Street building isn’t following it to the letter.Window signs inside a new convenience market in the landmark Four Stories building at the corner of Broad and Washington streets, and the lack of a proper business sign on the exterior, have attracted the attention of abutters and others who want the store brought into compliance with the city’s controversial sign ordinance.The historic structure at 616 Washington St., highly visible to commuters moving along Route 1A, is owned by attorneys Vincent and Michael Phelan, brothers of the City Council president. The building is also home to the Phelan family law offices.The entrance door bears a handmade sign spelling out the word: Dito’s. Cardboard signs blocking portions of the plate glass windows advertise the presence of an automated-teller machine and other attractions. The ordinance prohibits the blocking of windows.According to Vincent Phelan, the rental contract stipulates the tenant must abide by all city ordinances. The city’s Inspectional Services Department has been notified, said Phelan, adding that he expects his tenants to follow the law and be treated like any other downtown merchant.”They just moved in, so I suspect these signs are temporary,” he said Monday.The unsightly signs did not go unnoticed by abutters and others who have been forced to comply with the ordinance by erecting black signs with gold lettering. Uniformity of signage has been part of the city’s downtown image improvement strategy.City Clerk Mary Audley said a special permit from the council is required only if the size of the exterior sign exceeds the dimensions contained in the ordinance or if the sign hangs out from the building over the sidewalk.