Council hears first reading of wide-ranging sign code changes emphasizing content neutrality and new mural guidance

Lauren Gillingham Teague introduced Ordinance 26-01, a first reading amendment to the Westfield Washington Township Unified Development Ordinance focused on sign regulations. The rewrite emphasizes content neutrality (time, place and manner) to avoid content-based restrictions that could run afoul of First Amendment jurisprudence, and reclassifies temporary and permanent sign types by physical construction (yard sign, temporary freestanding, banner) rather than message type.

The proposal also adds standards for permanent sign types (blade signs, projecting signs, canopy signs, post/monument signs and drive‑thru menu boards) and includes guidance tailored to downtown design. On murals, staff proposed allowing up to a 2-square-foot sponsor acknowledgment or logo without treating the wall as a commercial sign; larger sponsor logos or obvious commercial messaging would count against building sign area and be regulated accordingly. The draft ordinance distinguishes murals (hand-applied, not digitally printed) from mechanically produced banners or drapes.

Councilors raised several concerns: whether residential properties should be covered or limited, how to treat long-standing commissioned murals that were not permitted historically, and the duration of temporary construction signage that appears to remain in place for years. Staff said temporary freestanding nonresidential signs would generally be allowed for six months with one extension option, and that some prohibited uses (trailers, storage boxes, painted trucks) might be clarified. Staff and council agreed to continue refining mural language and to consult the city’s arts commission and, where appropriate, constitutional law expertise before the ordinance returns for final action.