TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—To minimize unsightly window signage in commercial zones throughout the township, the council unanimously passed an ordinance Dec. 19, 2022 to restrict indoor window signs to a maximum of 40% of window space.
The move comes after residents complained about unappealing windows and signage.
The Township Council unanimously passed Ordinance 22-26, to limit the amount of window space that may be covered via signage.
The measure specifies the size of signs for advertising for new tenants at the Washington Town Center, limiting the signs to a maximum of 46 inches high by 35 inches wide.
Over the years, residents complained about window signage in commercial businesses at the Washington Town Center, 285 Pascack Road.
Other commercial window signage had come under fire for its appearance.
On Dec. 19, residents Michael Ullman and MaryAnn Ozment took exception with window signage at various commercial locations. Ozment said the original request was from a private business owner at Town Center who asked for no signage in any windows at the private mall.
Alex DiChiara is president of Washington Town Center LLC, which manages the 14-acre shopping mall with 126,000 square feet of retail space, including 36 stores and 475 parking spaces. The shopping center at 285 Pascack Road has operated since 1959.
DiChiara told Pascack Press that he preferred tenants not have signs in windows and said he was “not convinced that all that signage” increases business or patronage. He said local officials did not reach out to him on the ordinance changes.
He said he was “all for whatever potentially benefits the tenants…I’m for anything that helps tenants do more business.”
He said he has rules prohibiting signage on most leases but did not generally police it if the signs “are neat and orderly, whatever promotes good business.”
DiChiara said the 40% limit “was a good compromise” because he has seen it sometimes get out of hand. He said signage is “better neater than messy.”
Ullman asked if the police department had been consulted to discuss security concerns, whether doors were part of the indoor window space, and cited two local service stations who appeared to be in violation of the 40% limit.
He said he felt the 40% limit would have a negative impact on the visual appeal of the shopping center and other commercial storefronts.
Town attorney Kenneth Poller said window space did not include doors and Council President Desserie Morgan said the police should be able to see into a business without obstruction.
Poller said the window coverage limits imposed by the ordinance affect the Town Center tenants if the shopping center owner, Washington Town Center LLC, allows them to place signage. He said it was the owner’s “prerogative” to allow or not allow signage in shop windows.
Poller said while a maximum of 40% may be allowed under local ordinance, that does not give a tenant permission to put signage in the window. He said the tenant-property owner governs what is permitted in windows but the coverage cannot exceed 40%.
Mayor Peter Calamari wondered if the ordinance might be amended to exclude town notices that could be useful to promote local events. Poller said he was not sure how that would work.
Councilwoman Daisy Velez had noted that many shop owners want their windows and business to look attractive. She said many had allowed signs promoting township programs and events previously until the township started enforcing the signage ordinance.
Meanwhile, the Zoning Board of Appeals is hearing an application on two new retail buildings comprising more than 17,000 square feet of retail space — one of 14,700 square feet and one of 2,400 square feet — north of Seasons. The site contains several dilapidated houses.
Floor plans provided offer a glimpse of the applicants’ thinking on tenants: a deli, sporting goods store, beauty salon, bank, breakfast place, juice/gelato store, and cellular phone store.