Changes for Borough Sign Ordinance

Planning Board member H.H. Montague will lead efforts to draft a new sign ordinance for Chatham Borough to be presented at the Nov. 17 meeting.

The board formed a Sign Ordinance Committee in October to work on a new set of borough laws regarding the display of signs on public property. The committee went before the Borough Council during the Oct. 25 meeting to present and review the current ordinances for signs on public property and what changes they thought should be made.

Most of the council's questions at that meeting regarded political signs. Council members asked that the sign ordinance specify that no single real estate lot hold more than one sign per candidate or issue, that political signs not be illuminated and that they not be displayed for more than 30 days. The council also said that there should be no political signs permitted in front of the Borough Municipal Building at 54 Fairmount Ave.

After reviewing the concerns of the committee at Wednesday's Planning Board meeting, member Susan Favate asked Wednesday whether the council committee had considered whether signs would be allowed in front of the Library of the Chathams. Councilman Bruce Harris said that traditionally no one has placed political signs in front of the library, to which Cali-Charles responded that , no one had traditionally placed signs in front of the Municipal Building, either. "A door has been opened, and it needs to be closed," Cali-Charles said.

The council gave their approval to existing limitations for other categories of signs, such as nonprofit signs displayed for 15 days, flags of the Borough or foregin nations and holiday lighting. They did ask that the Planning Board specify in the draft of the Sign Ordinance whether signs can be placed in the public right-of-way (specifically in grassy areas between public sidewalks and the streets) and what limitations might be appropriate for those locations.

Board attorney Anne Marie Rizzuto pointed out that some of these limitations did not account for particular real estate lots. "A [small] lot will want one sign, and a corner lot might want two signs, and a three-acre lot might want even more signs," she said.

Rizzuto also answered questions from the board and the committee about how the committee would grant their approval to place a sign, and how people whose requests for sign placements were denied might appeal those decisions. She said the appeal would go before the Zoning Board, but that "if we need to change our rules and regulations for how the Sign Committee works, we can do that."

She also said that the Zoning Enforcement Officer would be in charge of policing the signs and making sure any sign ordinance was enforced. Vincent DeNave is the borough's current Zoning Enforcement Officer.

Montague, Cali-Charles and DeNave will draft the sign ordinance and present it to the Planning Board at the Nov. 17 meeting. Rizzuto will advise as needed. When the board presents the ordinance to the Borough Council, council attorney Joseph Bell will review it and make sure there are no legal issues within the ordinance. The board hopes to have the ordinance before the council by the end of this year.

The Planning Board had proposed changes to the signing ordinance earlier this year after one local business owner complained that they were too restrictive. The council in June.

Additional reporting by contributor Steve Wilson.