Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sign Variance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board allows LED address sign for Essex Regional Educational Services at 333 Fairfield Road with 10 p.m. cutoff
Summary
The board granted a C-variance for a double-sided LED sign at 333 Fairfield Road, finding the proposed lower sign aligns with streetscape and sight-line needs; approval included a condition that the LED panel be turned off by 10 p.m.
The Fairfield Board of Adjustment approved a variance that will allow the Essex Regional Educational Services Commission to install a double‑sided LED ground sign at 333 Fairfield Road, concluding the proposed sign's size and placement are consistent with the streetscape and that a lower sign would be more visible given tree cover.
Attorney John Burke introduced the application; engineer/planner J. Michael Petrie presented a sign study showing that most signs along this stretch of Fairfield Road sit lower than the 10‑foot clear panel height required in the Highway Development (HD) zone. Petrie testified the proposed panel measures 4 feet by 8 feet (32 square feet per side) and the overall base height is 3 feet 6 inches above grade; the panel height to the underside is 3'6" while the ordinance's HD-zone panel clearance is 10 feet above grade. Petrie said the NJ streetscape and tree cover would hide a 10‑foot sign at this location and that a lower sign improves wayfinding and safe circulation for visitors.
Board members raised questions about sight lines, illumination and programming of the LED panel. Petrie said the sign will be located in front of the building entrance and set well away from driveways, and he described the panel as similar to LED panels used at the public library and recreation center. Commissioners asked for an operational limit on the LED panel; a motion to approve the application included a condition that the LED portion be turned off at 10 p.m.
The motion to approve application 2024‑14 carried on a roll call; the board instructed staff to record the condition limiting LED illumination and to incorporate any engineering revisions into the final file.
