By Jacqueline Durett
Correspondent
SOUTH AMBOY — The city is currently looking at revising the ordinance that governs building requirements for businesses on Broadway.
Business Administrator Camille Tooker brought up the issue at the July 6 City Council business meeting.
Currently, an ordinance that is more than 10 years old is the basis for decisions regarding what is permissible when it comes to the look and feel of downtown businesses. Tooker said her goal is to clarify code areas that are ambiguous and to determine whether the city wants businesses to actively reflect the historic nature of the city.
Tooker and Mayor Fred Henry had prepared a draft resolution for the council to review.
No decisions were made at the meeting, but Tooker and council members discussed their thoughts and shared general concerns they have received from business owners.
Tooker said one concern for city officials is that neon signs are not permitted, yet most of the businesses have them, even though some of them are rather small.
“So now, I think we need to say … no neon signs, only up to a certain size,” she said.
Council President Mickey Gross said he wanted to know if existing businesses would be grandfathered in if they have elements that end up being out of compliance.
“Where do we see that going? I think that’s important,” he said.
Gross and Councilwoman Zusette Dato said they each have fielded questions from the Blue Moon, a tavern that features various musicians. They have wanted to place more temporary signage to promote their events.
Councilman Tom Reilly said in reviewing the existing ordinance, he believes the intent is to reflect a turn-of-the-century look for downtown businesses.
“I don’t know, there’s a part of me that says I see that drifting away, I see businesses that are taking on their own look,” he said.
He said if the new ordinance is going to be similar to the older one, the city has to make a conscious effort to enforce the goal of having a historic-looking area.
However, Tooker pointed to a nearby beauty salon that does not have a historic look, but is beautiful all the same.
“I just don’t want things to look really out of place. Where some person decides to go with an extreme futuristic look and then another place next door just the complete opposite,” Reilly said. “That’s why I think we need to have some sort of control over what occurs.”
Tooker and Henry confirmed the council does have that control.
The council will be reviewing the document and providing feedback to Tooker and Henry.