Planning board approves illuminated façade sign and grants two waivers for 101 Carnegie Center

The West Windsor Planning Board unanimously approved a waiver application on Jan. 15 to allow an illuminated, building‑mounted wall sign at 101 Carnegie Center, accepting two variances from ordinance 200‑32 b2 c for sign area and letter height.

The application (PB 24‑11 SW) was presented by counsel Gregory Ricciardi on behalf of the applicant; engineering consultant Mike Thomas described the proposal and showed a photo simulation labeled Exhibit A‑1. Thomas said the sign would be sited on the building’s southern façade to avoid removing trees, would be illuminated with LED halo/backlighting, and would operate on timers from dusk to dawn. He described the proposed sign as about 85.11 square feet in area with individual letters and a logo up to roughly 36 inches in height; the nearest public right of way (Route 1) is roughly 680 feet from the sign’s face, and the building’s façade area is about 28,000 square feet, making the sign roughly 0.3 percent of the total frontage.

Richard Crawford of Bartouch Signs testified on materials and construction, saying letters are fabricated aluminum with internal white LEDs that wash light back against the wall to create a halo effect; power supplies would be housed inside the building and wiring concealed.

Planner David Novak of Burgess Associates said in his December 12, 2024 memo that he had no objection to the waivers. Novak explained a literal application of the ordinance measurement rules can be impractical when private internal roads and canopy features make right‑of‑way distances misleading; by other measurement criteria a building this distance from the right of way could allow a larger sign and up to 3‑foot letter height, he said. Novak added that the siting avoids tree removal and that the sign would not overwhelm the façade.

The board opened public comment on the application and received no speakers. A motion to approve the application and grant the two waivers was made and seconded; the board then conducted a roll‑call vote in which the present members voted yes and the motion passed unanimously.

The recorded roll call listed the following members as voting yes: Mister Navarro; Mister Schectel; Mister Panko; Mister Begg; Miss Barre; Miss Applegate; Councilman Whitfield; Mayor Marte; and Vice chairman Hoberman. The chair announced approval of the sign application and the two waivers.

The board discussed lighting hours during deliberations; although the applicant said the sign would be illuminated from dusk to dawn, the board noted there is no ordinance restricting continuous overnight illumination and did not impose a dusk‑to‑dawn condition as a waiver requirement.

Next steps identified in the public record include filing of the final plan materials and as‑built documentation consistent with the approved exhibits; the board then moved on to other business and into a closed session.