Concord HDC Approves Pride Crosswalk on Main Street, Advances Two Sign Applications

CARLISLE — March 18, 2026 — Concord's Historic Districts Commission unanimously approved a temporary rainbow pride crosswalk on Main Street at its March 18 meeting. The commission, chaired by Kate Chartner, voted five to zero to allow Concord Pride to install vinyl decal crosswalk panels at 28 Main Street for approximately one month in June, at a combined cost of roughly $4,000 for two crosswalks in Concord. Mimi Graney, presenting alongside Reverend Amy Friedman of First Parish, described the material as skid-resistant vinyl, removable without residue, and noted a test application on a roadway surface is planned for late April to verify durability. The commission also approved blade signage for new shop Crafted Together at 26 Main Street, with a condition requiring resubmission of a revised design using a Garamond-style serif font and white lettering on dark green, and approved revised fencing and lighting plans for the Concord Center for the Visual Arts at 37 Lexington Road, cutting proposed exterior light fixtures from 27 to 13. Applications for 52 Bow Street and 83 Monument Street were continued to April 15 pending site visits, with commissioners pressing both teams for cleaner documentation and, in the Monument Street case, a redesign that more clearly distinguishes a proposed two-story rear addition from the 1868 historic house.