Bargain Grocery celebrated its official opening on Sept. 20, 2024, on River Street in Troy. Bargain Grocery’s landlord, First Columbia, has asked permission for a sign that would sit on the store’s overflow parking lot and direct potential customers to the business.

The opening of Bargain Grocery was a significant step for Troy, given that the River Street store sits at the edge of a neighborhood marked by decline and answers the call for fresh food in the city’s center.

The conversion of its old industrial building has also won historic preservation honors, which speaks to its being unusual for a grocery. The store sits on a tricky site with a parking lot that’s a bit difficult to access, particularly from River Street.

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You can get to the store’s parking from Hoosick Street, however, which is why Bargain Grocery wants to put a sign there.

And so, at the most recent Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, Bargain Grocery’s landlord, First Columbia, returned for the third straight month to ask permission for an unlit 3-by-5-foot sign that would sit on the store’s overflow parking lot and direct potential customers to the business.

You might assume the variance would be no problem, given the long-standing need for groceries in central Troy. You might think the city would want to help a nonprofit grocery that funds a broader charity that gives away furniture, clothing and school supplies. You........

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