Politics & Government
Westwood Officials Consider Holiday Sign Law
Seasonal decorations like the window paintings at Sugarflake Bakery would be regulated under a proposed change to the borough sign ordinance.
The seasonal window paintings in Westwood's may be able to stay under a new law regulating temporary holiday signs.
Steven Leyva, the bakery's owner, has had his windows painted to celebrate different holidays and seasons for almost 13 years. Earlier this year, the borough fined Leyva for and a warrant was issued for his arrest after he missed a court date.
Now, Westwood officials are looking to change their sign ordinance to create guidelines for temporary seasonal holiday signs, which would include the paintings in Sugarflake's windows.
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The current sign ordinance does not include seasonal or holiday signs among permitted types of temporary signs. Borough Planner Ed Snieckus reviewed some proposed changes to the ordinance at a Planning Board meeting last week.
The proposed rules include limiting temporary signs — including paintings — to a maximum of 50 percent of a business's window space, according to Snieckus. Signs would need to be removed within seven days of a holiday and business owners would have to wait 15 days before putting up a new seasonal sign, Snieckus said.
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"That's reasonable," Leyva said.
Previously, officials had considered 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. A proposed ordinance was given to the mayor and council, but they said the first proposed change was possibly too strict and requested a revision.
After Leyva was fined, a scene of strawberries and baked goods in Sugarflakes's window went unfinished for months. Leyva gathered more than 1,000 signatures from customers on a petition. He said some of his customers also called the borough about the issue, and were told he was allowed it do it. Leyva had the painting colored in a few weeks ago. It currently remains in the bakery's window.
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