Bakery Battles Westwood Over Window Paintings

For most of the 13 years that Steven Leyva has run in Westwood, he's featured four or five seasonal paintings each year on the shop's front windows.

But Leyva stopped his most recent work -- featuring a pile of strawberries and baked goods -- before color was added, when a warrant was issued for his arrest over a dispute with the borough about the paintings.

He turned himself in.

"It's ridiculous," Leyva said.

The borough's sign ordinance governs both permanent and temporary signs, limiting their size and height, among other factors. It is also designed to catch things that are not signs but are being use as signs, according to Borough Planner Ed Snieckus.

The Sugarflake paintings have included some messages, wishing customers a happy holiday or announcing awards the shop has won.

After he stopped the painting, Leyva put signs in the bakery's windows asking customers to sign a petition supporting him. Leyva said he gathered 1,000 signatures.

Members of the Westwood Planning Board discussed a possible change to the sign ordinance at their meeting last week. The change would include specific rules for window paintings like those at Sugarflake.

The regulations discussed by the board include limiting window painting to four holidays each year, with a possible limit of 30, 45 or 60 days leading up to each holiday and a maximum of 50 or 75 percent of a window could be covered, but the details still need to be decided.

Seasonal themes, like Sugarflake's strawberry motif, would fall under a grey area as it is not designated by a specific holiday. Also, what constitutes a holiday is up for debate.

Some board members suggested only allowing federal holidays, but others noted that would eliminate some popular celebrations like Halloween.

"This is an enforcement nightmare for the zoning officer," planning board member William Martin said at the meeting.

While the details of the ordinance are worked out, Leyva said he intends to appeal fines the borough has issued him.

"It's hard to stay in business these days and the fines don't help," Leyva said. "They should make it easier for us."