By MICHAEL NUNES
Staff Writer
RED BANK- Who would have thought a sign ordinance would cause so much trouble?
After years of deliberation and $18,000 spent to simplify the ordinance, the borough is moving forward with shortening its sign ordinance, although some in the community feel it does not go far enough.
“The new ordinance is simplified from what exists today, but we think it could go further,” James Scavone, executive director of Red Bank River Center, said.
River Center manages the borough’s historic down town.
“It’s very unwieldy and difficult to understand and also there are some regulations in the sign ordinance that we feel do not deal with public safety and therefore those particular regulations should be removed,” Scavone said, adding that regulations over how high signs must be hung and the size of the lettering on the signs are unnecessary.
The proposed ordinance would, like a previous ordinance, regulate where signs signs could be placed as well as certain design features.
“It’s the image and perception that these ordinances create of how this town views business and development. Businesses want to feel that they could operate in 2016,” he said.
According to Scavone, the proposed simplified ordinance is around 14 pages long, which he said is twice as long as such towns like Princeton, Montclair and Cape May.
“Our fear is that whatever sign ordinance this council chooses to adopt, will be [in place] for many years to come. I don’t think any of us want to go through processes again any time soon,” Scavone said.
“We feel the current draft is injurious to business development in Red Bank and I urge [the council] to reconsider its introduction.”
For Councilwoman Cindy Burnham, who said she has been pushing to simplify the ordinance since arriving on council in 2013, a vote on a public hearing on the proposed ordinance is long over due.
“I’m very happy but it bothers me that it has taken this long and took $18,000,” said Burnham. The proposed ordinance, she said, is a compromise between businesses and the master plan for the borough which says that a sign ordinance should be used to help maintain the character of the borough.
Burnham cites council members dragging their feet on the subject to appease River Center.
The fact that a simplified ordinance made it before the council was an achievement, according to Mayor Pasquale Menna.
“This is a process that unfortunately has been mired in months and years of deliberative inaction. I consider it fortune that we have a document before us tonight,” Menna said.
“I don’t think we should wait another two years. … I think we should introduce tonight and frankly should council have certain objections. … now is our opportunity to take the red pen out. … Maybe we can get the ordinance down to eight pages,” Menna said, remarking that the current ordinance is around 30 pages, stating the old ordinance is “completely comprehensible’.
Members on the dais approved unanimously to move the ordinance to a public hearing at the council’s March 23 meeting.