Plans For Sprouts Store In Haddon Proceed Amid Concerns Over Signage

HADDON, NJ — Representatives of Sprouts Farmers Market told Haddon's Zoning and Planning Board on Thursday that the company was not willing to make many of the township's requested changes to its signage.

For example, one zoning board member had requested that Sprouts Farmers Market's signs within the Westmont Plaza location where it is setting up shop not be lit at night.

Mike Ogden, the director of development for Kimco Realty — the real estate company that is working with Sprouts Farmers Market — said he spoke with someone at Sprouts Farmers Market about that request.

"His response to me was you have a terrible idea," Ogden said at Thursday's meeting. "Because what happens is, everyone assumes [the sign] is broken. And all they hear is 'Why don't you fix the lights?' , so it becomes a complaint and customers start to feel like there's a maintenance problem at the store. So it was very much against [not lighting the signs at night."]

A second zoning board member felt that the use of the word wellness in some of market's signs would wrongly imply that Sprouts Farmers Market is a drug store or pharmacy.

"Think of wellness in the context of the grocery environment. [Sprouts Farmers Market] is a new grocer on the market," Amy Ferrell, the attorney representing Sprouts Farmers Market, said in response. "What we're hearing from Sprouts [is that wellness is] part of their overall branding. It's what identifies them and separates them from other other grocers in the marketplace."

A third zoning board member was concerned about the size of the signs being too big than others in the plaza.

Paul Ricci, who Ferrell asked to look at the proposed plans on paper and in-person on her behalf, said Sprouts Farmers Market's proposed signs are much more aesthetically pleasing than others nearby.

"The building to the west [of Sprouts Farmers Market] has 11 signs over 230 feet," Ricci said.
"That area of the site is significantly more cluttered than what's being proposed by the applicant. Despite [Sprouts Farmers Market's] need for the variance relief, it does result in sound land use planning will be attractive."

Ricci added that he hoped Haddon Twp Zoning Board would look past these concerns and appreciate the significance of the market coming to their municipality.

Sprouts Farmers Market "asked for a little bit more from the board because they're making a sizable investment in the town, and a commitment to this town, and they're trying to explain to try and express their branding. .. [Since] not everyone knows who they are," Ricci said.

A member of the meeting's audience who did not appear to be affiliated directly with Sprouts Farmers Market agreed with Ricci.

"We should be as a community happy to get an upscale place like Sprouts not only come into our town and our main shopping center, but to be taking space that may otherwise be empty for several years," John Sandone said. "It increases the economic viability of the whole center, which we were worried about several years ago."

Sprouts Farmers Market is willing to make one of its signs about 10 percent smaller than originally planned; agrees not to install strobe or flashing lights; follow Haddon's other ordinances on temporary signs, inspections, obtaining permits and the like during the construction phase of the project, according to Ferrell.

Despite some of the zoning board members concerns, the zoning board ultimately and unanimously voted to let Sprouts Farmers Market use the signage it wanted, sans the conditions Ferrell mentioned immediately above.

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