Public hearing set for March 13
By:Purvi Desai
A new ordinance in the township and clarify other signage rules was unanimously introduced at Tuesday’s Township Committee meeting.
The ordinance, which was approved last month by the Planning Board, will be discussed at a March 13 public hearing before the Township Committee. If approved, the proposed ordinance will also allow permanent business signs 50 percent larger than are currently allowed, and set up a five-member commission to review sign requests.
Many parts of the proposed ordinance are not significantly different from the current regulations, but the new ordinance seeks to clarify some of the ordinances’ definitions. For example, the proposed ordinance distinguishes between directory signs (permanent signs that include the names of all the tenants in a shopping center), "way-finding" signs and regular permanent signs that list the name of the shopping center or one business.
The proposed changes also place new restrictions on temporary 30-day signs, limiting their use to announcing grand openings, reopenings, political campaigns or changes in management.
Small businesses would no longer be allowed to put out temporary signs advertising their businesses a point several small business owners said disappointed them.
Jason Schies, owner of RC Hobby in Triangle Center, said that when he does not have temporary signs placed on Route 206, his sales drop.
The ordinance would also allow "way-finding" signs, such as those in Flemington, to be posted within a half-mile of stores to direct drivers and potential customers to store locations. These signs would be limited to two per establishment and would have some kind of uniform color and design.
Directory signs and other permanent signs can be bigger and moved closer to the roadway, provided they do not interfere with traffic safety, according to the ordinance. Ground signs, which are essentially permanent and directory signs, and free-standing signs, which are attached to the ground but include only one name, are currently limited to 20 square feet in size and up to 6 feet high. If the proposed ordinance is approved, they could be up to 30 square feet in size and up to 8 feet high.
Directory signs would be allowed to increase to 30 square feet in size and up to 8 feet high. They would also be required to have space allotted for the name of the shopping center and the number of the street address.
Currently, wall signs, which appear on the façade of the building, are allowed to be up to 5 percent of the first floor façade or 20 square feet, whichever is greater. Under the proposed ordinance, the wall signs could be up to 10 percent of the first floor façade or 30 square feet, whichever is greater.
The sign review committee would include one member each from the Economic and Business Department Commission and the Architectural and Site Design Advisory Committee; a resident with specific training in architecture, landscaping architecture or urban design and planning; an owner of a business in Hillsborough; a resident of Hillsborough; and an alternate member who is a property owner in the township.
The committee would be required to make decisions within 45 days, according to the ordinance. Members of the sign review committee would be appointed annually by the mayor at the Township Committee reorganization meeting.