Shopping Plaza Seeks New, Bigger Sign

Tucked away off of Martinsville Road on the Warren Township side of Route 78, 100 Marketplace contains several local dining options and specialty retail stores. The problem, according to owners Bruce Bocina and Rob Fernandes, is that motorists don't see it.

The owners spoke to the Township Committee at the Tuesday, June 29 meeting, saying that store owners have complained the customers report having a difficult time finding the plaza from the road. Vehicles see signs for restaurants like Panera and enter Bernards from Route 78, but the plaza is not easy to find once taking the exit, Bocina said.

"Marketplace is a lot further back than say Riverwalk. When you go down Martinsville road it's hard for people to find it," Bocina said. The current sign is 30 square feet and has four-inch gold lettering on a green backdrop. "It's almost like we don't have a sign there," Bocina said. "The letters are gold leaf, it's almost like we got too cute (with the lettering). You can't see any of the signage."

The proposal for a new sign came in an email to the Township Committee, asking for a 10-feet high sign of 60-square feet total, green with seven-inch white lettering.

Township Committee member Mary Pavlini said she frequents the plaza often and vouched for the visual problems created by a busy intersection, an Exxon gas station and the distance of the plaza from the road. "I'm not a big fan of commercial signs, but I think it in this case it might be warranted," Pavlini said.

Deputy Mayor John Malay and Township Committee member John Carpenter expressed concerns over dealing with the signage issue on a Township Committee level instead of sending the case to the Board of Adjustment for the owners to request a variance.

"My concern is that we are making a decision based on a picture here. At the zoning board, they go through great lengths to weigh the visual impact," Carpenter said.

The Township Committee voted 3-2 in favor of directing staff to draft an ordinance that would allow the owners of 100 Marketplace to erect a new sign with the specifications they presented. Carpenter and Malay cast the dissenting votes. The ordinance will be introduced at a subsequent Township Committee meeting.