Billboard Shrinks 20 Feet, Wins Approval Near Busy Sayreville Intersection
The original 45-foot pole design was replaced with a shorter structure that will include landscaping, borough messages and an overnight shutoff.
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SAYREVILLE, NJ — A proposed digital billboard near the busy intersection of Route 9, Route 35 and Melrose Avenue will move forward after the applicant cut 20 feet from its height and substantially changed its appearance.
The Sayreville Zoning Board unanimously approved the new plan for 2521 Route 35 during its Aug. 26 meeting.
FAJP LLC originally proposed a 45-foot-tall, two-sided digital billboard supported by a single steel pole. That design received critical feedback from board members during a July hearing.
The applicant returned one month later with a 25-foot-tall monument-style billboard surrounded by a screening wall, landscaping and a planter bed.
“We heard some comments, most of the comments from the board,” attorney Lawrence Sachs, representing FAJP LLC, said. “We took those to heart. We went back and reengineered this project.”
What Will The New Billboard Look Like?
The new billboard will look different from the traditional pole-mounted signs commonly seen along highways.
Instead of placing the digital display on top of a tall steel pole, the sign will be built into a shorter monument-style structure.
The display area was reduced to 262.5 square feet, bringing it below the maximum size allowed for the property.
The smaller design also allows the entire structure to fit on the property.
According to testimony, the existing traditional billboard extends approximately 10.5 feet beyond the property and into publicly controlled land along the highway. The replacement will be moved entirely out of that area.
The Billboard Will Be Farther From A Neighboring Home
The redesign also moves the billboard farther from the house next door.
Under the original plan, the sign would have been 22.1 feet from the neighboring home. The new design increases that distance to 32.7 feet.
The applicant also agreed to plant a row of tall evergreen trees between the billboard and the home.
“We’ll put substantial arborvitae, which will obviously grow in and certainly shield it,” Sachs said.
Those trees can eventually grow to approximately 35 or 40 feet, according to testimony presented during the hearing.
The Display Will Shut Off Overnight
The digital billboard must be turned off completely between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Professional planner Colleen McGurk said the nightly shutoff was intended to reduce the effect of the billboard’s lighting on nearby properties.
McGurk also discussed several New Jersey court decisions involving digital billboards, public safety, appearance and free-speech protections.
She argued that Sayreville’s proposal was different from a billboard rejected in Eatontown because that sign would have remained illuminated around the clock.
The Sayreville billboard, by comparison, will go dark for eight hours each night.
Borough Messages Could Appear On The Sign
The base of the structure will feature a “Welcome to Sayreville” message or similar borough design.
Sayreville will also be able to use the digital display for public announcements and emergency messages when paid advertisements are not running.
Sachs said the applicant discussed those additions with Borough Business Administrator Glenn Scarzinski.
To help board members picture the final product, Sachs showed photographs of a similar monument-style billboard near Route 1 and Route 522 in South Brunswick.
He noted that the South Brunswick sign is considerably taller, standing approximately 40 to 45 feet high.
Board Members Supported The Redesign
Board Planner Fowler said the applicant responded to the concerns discussed during its first appearance.
“Obviously, the applicants’ professionals listened to the board chairman and the board members’ comments,” Fowler said. “Then the applicant listened to their professionals and came back with a much-improved plan over the previous one.”
No residents spoke during the public portion of the hearing.
The board unanimously approved the billboard with requirements that it shut off overnight and that the applicant install and maintain the planned landscaping.
A written resolution formally recording the approval is scheduled for Sept. 23.
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