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Zoning board approves illuminated sign for Eco Engines at 507 Washington Road with dimming condition
Summary
The board approved a variance for Eco Engines’ building sign at 507 Washington Road, allowing an approximately 88-square-foot illuminated sign subject to dimming/timer conditions discussed at the hearing.
The Sayreville Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a request from Eco Engines for a building sign and granted variances for sign size and related waivers, subject to conditions the board discussed for illumination and hours of operation.
Michael Page, attorney for the applicant, said Eco Engines — the owner of the property at 507 Washington Road — sought permission to place illuminated lettering on the front of the building and to waive certain site-plan requirements. Charles Heil Jr., a managing member of Eco Engines, testified about the sign’s design and operation.
“I’m just requesting sign for the front. We’ve renovated the whole place, and I’d like just a nice signage up front that shows the business name and so people can see it from the curbside,” Heil said. Heil gave the board dimensions for the proposed lettering; one calculation supplied by an attendee produced an area of about 88.39 square feet for the sign.
Board discussion focused on which zoning schedule applied to auto service stations and on illumination. Transcript references showed a sign-schedule provision for public garages and motor vehicle service stations that indicated smaller permitted sizes and a 12-inch maximum height for certain signs; the board determined the proposed sign required variances for maximum sign size and height as applied under that schedule. The board also discussed how similar signage exists along Washington Road — members cited Barry’s Automotive and a Mobil 1 service facility as nearby comparables.
On illumination, Heil said each letter would be LED-lit and that he planned to operate the sign on a timer and dimmer. “It’s gonna be on a dimmer switch, to control how many lumens it’s gonna be putting out. I could set it to a timer, to turn off at, like, 10:00,” Heil said. Board members agreed the resolution should include a condition requiring dimming at 10 p.m.; during the discussion one board member suggested dimming to the lowest setting from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. and allowing the zoning officer to enforce compliance.
A majority of board members voted to approve the application “based on the conditions that we discussed,” according to the motion recorded on the transcript. The board noted the approval will be memorialized in a written resolution at a subsequent meeting, after which the applicant may seek building permits.
Heil provided hours of operation during testimony — Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays by appointment and closed Sundays — and the board asked that the final resolution include dimensional limits consistent with the submitted sign dimensions (the applicant and board discussed allowing up to about 90 square feet to provide a small margin).
