Council adopts Main Street transit-village amendments to allow artistic retail, change signage rules

The Woodbridge Township Council on May 6 adopted an amendment to the Main Street rehabilitation and transit-village plan to allow "artistic retail" uses and to change signage regulations, the council announced during its public hearing on the ordinance.

The amendment was taken up on second/third reading and the public hearing was opened for "letter b." Councilwoman McAuliffe asked to be recorded as abstaining from letter b during the council discussion; the public hearing later proceeded and the ordinance was adopted and submitted to the mayor for approval as required by law.

At the public microphone, resident Ken Gardner asked whether a council member who moved to open the public hearing could later abstain. A staff member explained the substance of the amendment: "This is making amendments to the village plan, specifically to permit artistic retail and make change to the signage regulations." No public commenters spoke in opposition during the hearing and the council closed the public comment portion before adopting the ordinance.

The record shows one abstention during the council vote; the clerk announced "Ayes have it" after the vote and the ordinance will be forwarded to the mayor for signature. The council did not record a detailed roll-call tally in the discussion available on the record for this item.

The changes amend the township's Main Street rehabilitation and transit-village plan to broaden permitted ground-floor retail and to modify the local signage code; the ordinance will appear on the mayor's desk as part of the legislative adoption process required by state and local rules.

The council adopted the amendment by the end of the public hearing with no additional conditions announced.