Sidewalk sales in Howell
examined after complaint
HOWELL — Enforcement of a township ordinance governing sidewalk sales has been stepped up by code enforcement officers following a citizen’s complaint.
Ordinance violations were issued to some businesses after Norine Kelly complained to the Township Council that Howell’s Route 9 corridor looked like a "flea market" due to the number of outdoor goods displayed by businesses that line the highway.
Speaking to the governing body earlier this month, Kelly, who lives at the Windmill Club off Route 9 in south Howell, told the mayor and council, "It is the driveway to my community, and it’s a mess. It looks terrible."
Land Use Officer Vito Marinaccio said an ordinance was adopted more than a year ago that mandates certain requirements for sidewalk sales or displays. He said the ordinance provides a specific time period in which businesses are allowed to display goods outside their stores.
According to Marinaccio, there are 35 days a year in which store owners can display their wares outdoors. Business owners can apply up to five times a year for a permit allowing them to display goods outside their premises, he said, each time for a period of seven days.
Any display of goods outside a store’s premises outside that time frame can result in a summons being issued to the business owner, Marinaccio said. The ordinance was not adopted to restrict businesses in how they operate, but to protect shoppers and pedestrians, he said.
The ordinance, which restricts the types and size of displays allowed, was adopted after numerous incidents in which patrons of shopping centers had to step off the sidewalks and into parking lots in order to maneuver around sidewalk displays, he said.
— Kathy Baratta