Discussions continued this week in West Windsor over how to regulate commercial signs in town — first at the Planning Board meeting on September 12 and then at the Environmental Commission meeting on September 13.
Environmental Commission member Andrew Kulley, who currently serves as the commission’s planning board representative, said that at the Planning Board “we listened to discussions about open house signs and commercial real estate leasing signs. I think the consensus was that the Planning Board didn’t see a problem with the proposal to expand the time period during which open house signs would be made available, from its current Saturday and Sunday to Friday at noon to Sunday at 6 p.m.”
Kulley added that other feedback from the planning board was centered on the notion of putting time limits on the period during which commercial properties could advertise that they have space available. But as the planning board discussed the issue, it came to the conclusion that such limitations would not be realistic.
“In multi-tenant buildings you are always going to have some space with turnover and cycling, and realistically those property owners have to be able to advertise,” he said.
On September 12 the Planning Board heard testimony from the Mercer County Realtors Association, which presented evidence that more than 50 percent of commercial leases are initiated by people driving by and seeing the space available in buildings. Michael Hornsby, chairman of Environmental Commission, said that was the way how Johnson & Johnson originally settled in New Brunswick.
At the Planning Board meeting, Kulley brought up one suggestion to the realtors in attendance: do away with the balloons attached to open house or for sale signs. In his litter cleanup efforts in West Windsor, Kulley has often encountered remains of popped or deflated balloons on the ground and in sewers and streams.
“They said the balloons are not supposed to accompany signs, but a lot of people still do it anyway. Finally they agreed to send a memo to the membership of the Mercer County Realtors Association encouraging people to a.) not use balloons and b.) if they use balloons, take them away properly once the display is done,” Kulley said.
Environmental Commission member Robert Roth recently moved out of West Windsor, and at its September 13 meeting the commission was seeking a replacement for Roth’s position as the group’s SPRAB representative. Kulley volunteered to take over for Roth as he was interested in the interaction SPRAB members can have with applicants for projects. The commission voted to nominate Kulley as a dual representative for SPRAB and Planning Board, with the final appointment to come from Mayor Hsueh.
