Says no changes are planned for year-old ordinance
By Audrey Levine Staff Writer
To address requests for permanent business signs throughout the township, Mayor Anthony Ferrera appointed six people to the Sign Review Committee, which was established in March 2007 to issue sign permits.
On the committee, with terms ending Dec. 31, are Township Clerk Kevin Davis, and residents Kevin Sweeney, Harvey Kaye, Thomas Biro, Paul Drake and Cindy Klepich.
The addition of the committee was part of changes made to the township sign ordinance in March. Now, township officials have said that there are no more changes planned, despite currently waiting to hear the judge’s final ruling in a case that is questioning its constitutionality.
If the judge rules that anything in the ordinance is not legal, the township has said it will make those changes, but no adjustments are being planned until current litigation is resolved.
The township is currently in court to resolve a lawsuit filed by John Sala, owner of Hillsborough Landscape & Supply on Route 206. In October, Mr. Sala pleaded not guilty in municipal court to zoning violation charges after he did not remove temporary signs from his property within 90 days of requesting a permit for a permanent one, as is mandated by the township’s sign ordinance.
Mr. Sala later filed suit against the township, contending that the ordinance, with its restrictions against temporary signs, impedes on his free speech.
Aside from making the appointments, Mayor Ferrera, at the Jan. 22 Township Committee meeting, attempted to clear up any misconceptions about the ordinance itself, which was adopted in March 2007.
”One of the major problems for businesses before the new rules was that the old rules were conflicting and confusing,” he said. “The new rules have brought clarity and fairness to the regulation of signage.”
Still, Mayor Ferrera said that, despite the changes, some business owners have been found to be ignoring the zoning ordinance by posting temporary signs, which he said, “litter the township.”
”Most business owners are law abiding,” he said. “They understand that cheaply made, and sometimes garish, temporary signs are a detriment to the appearance of the community. However, some businesses continue to try to litter the township with temporary signs, somehow believing the rules do not pertain to them.”
To attempt to address this problem, the committee unanimously approved a resolution to allow Mr. Davis to post for the position of a zoning officer, who would be charged with enforcing all zoning ordinances in the community.
”That new zoning officer will have the duty of enforcing all of the zoning ordinances, however, ensuring adherence to the well thought out, and fair and balanced sign ordinance, will be a priority,” Mayor Ferrera said.
Changes to the sign ordinance were approved March 12, and allow for permanent business signs to be 50 percent larger than before, in addition to the creation of a Sign Review Committee. The committee considers all requests and requires plan adjustments where necessary.
The previous ordinance mandated that business owners had to apply for sign waivers through a Planning Board application.
”The new regulations ended that problem by establishing a Sign Review Committee for the expeditious handling of sign waiver requests,” Mayor Ferrera said. “That committee did an outstanding job during 2007, by quickly and fairly handling a significant number of sign waiver requests.”
A resolution was then approved March 27 to allow business owners to install temporary signs for 90 days while they construct a permanent sign to replace them. The resolution requires property owners to apply for the permanent sign in order to be eligible to install a temporary one for the 90-day period.
”When we adopted the new sign rules in 2007, I said the new regulations balance the needs of the business community with the aesthetic needs of the overall appearance of the township,” Mayor Ferrera said.
As to outcomes of the current lawsuit filed by Mr. Sala, township officials have remained quiet, and have said they plan to do so until the matter is resolved.