We, the undersigned residents of Rhinebeck, recognizing the character of River Road as the most scenic and among the most historic and significant in the town of Rhinebeck, located in the heart of the federally designated Hudson River National Historic Landmark District, the most prestigious designation of historic resources in the nation, included in the Mid-Hudson Historic Shorelands Scenic District and the Estate District Scenic Area of Statewide Significance, a road lined with fieldstone walls, bordered by venerable trees, winding between rolling meadows, great estates, and a forest preserve, offering legendary vistas of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, call for the removal of two new signs recently placed without a permit at the main entrance to Ferncliff Nursing Home (now called ArchCare at Ferncliff), once the site of the Astor estate. These two new signs replace one older, smaller, far less obtrusive sign that sat lower and further back from the road, in front of the wall at the former gatehouse. The new signs are out of scale and out of character with River Road and the historic setting, more than doubling the size of signage in this very visible and sensitive location directly opposite the intersection with Astor Drive. The signs stand out sharply from their lone predecessor by their large size, bright color, and inappropriate siting. Until an application for new code-compliant signage is fully reviewed and approved by the Planning Board, which should strictly interpret the provisions of the new Town of Rhinebeck Zoning Law and Comprehensive Plan, the signs should be removed and the original sign replaced, as it was heretofore.

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