Planning Board Wants to Limit Interior Neon Signs Downtown

Members of the Westwood Planning Board decided Thursday to limit the number of interior neon signs that any business can have visible from the storefront.

According to Borough Planner Ed Snieckus, the original discussion was to allow neon signs no larger than three square feet, with no more than three colors, at least 10 feet away from any exterior window, with no limit to the number of signs.

However, in discussions Thursday night, members decided to limit the number of interior signs to three, after looming concerns that some business owners might take advantage of the limitations.

“Essentially what somebody can do is light the entire interior and make the entire store neon. You have no way of controlling it,” said Westwood property owner Bruce Meisel. He compared the borough’s downtown to neighboring Ridgewood and Englewood, saying that “none of them have neon.”

Board member William Martin assured Meisel that if that were the case, you would only see these interior signs “if you stand directly in front of the glass and look through.”

But Meisel has a different view of what he would like to see through borough store windows.

“The way to really have an attractive store today is to have a big, wide open window…you make a beautiful interior, and you let the interior of the store be your advertising,” said Meisel.

Yet the board stood firm about giving business owners some leeway to control how the interior of their store is designed.

“The benefit would be the freedom to do it,” said board member Daniel Olivier.

Mayor John Birkner Jr. ultimately advised that he is in favor of limiting the amount of signs, and that “an excessive amount of neon does seem to cheapen the aesthetic appeal in the downtown area.”

Martin proposed that they must be clear when wording the ordinance, because the use of actual “neon” is in fact outdated, and many signs that these businesses have are actually made of digital materials and LED lighting. Board members agreed to be clear about the semantics of the regulation, and are working on a comprehensive revision to the sign ordinance to address any looming concerns.

The board also further discussed the idea of putting hanging signs outside of businesses in the CBD (Central Business District)/SPE (Special Pedestrian Environment) zones.

The current draft of the plan will require these signs to be a maximum of six square feet, no more than three feet in height and no more than three feet away from the building.

Martin suggested that these signs have the same message on both faces in order to allow for “some consistency, some civic control of the signage,” and that they not be illuminated signs. Snieckus assured the board that the Master Plan already prohibits flashing, oscillating, moving, fluorescent, neon or similarly lighted signs.

The board decided that they might allow a small spotlight to illuminate the hanging signs, although according to Chairman James Hodges, the awning signs on downtown businesses are currently only lit by ambient light.

The next Westwood Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Sept. 8.