Bedminster board approves reduced signage package for Bed 1 development

The Bedminster Planning Board on July 9 approved revised sign plans and variances for the Bed 1 mixed-use development after the applicant agreed to scale down several monument signs.

Nicholas Whitaker, an attorney for the applicant SK Fed and Associates LLC, presented the revised package and said the hearing that evening would focus narrowly on signage. "We're here tonight with a revised site plan, a sign plan for your review," Whitaker told the board.

Todd Shapiro, director of architecture and interior design for KRE, testified that the updated package removed several elements from the earlier submission and refined layout and materials. "We've removed some of the signage that was previously presented," Shapiro said, adding the team had consolidated two existing monument signs into a single updated monument and proposed additional wayfinding and pedestrian-scale signs to guide traffic and foot traffic across the site.

Shapiro explained the rationale: the site has multiple uses and nine entry points, and signs must be legible from high-speed Burnt Mills Road as well as on-site walkways. He described a new 'blade' vehicular wayfinding sign at 8 square feet, several 8-square-foot pedestrian plaques, and monument signs originally shown in the package at 75 square feet.

Board members pressed on scale and visual mass along Burnt Mills Road. Several members said the originally proposed 75-square-foot monuments would be too large for the corridor. After discussion, the applicant agreed to reduce monument signs to about 55 square feet and to lower the maximum height. "We can scale them down," Shapiro said in response to the board's concerns.

The board also discussed illumination and operational controls. Shapiro said monument letters and some facade signs would be halo-lit (backlit) and that monument signs could be dimmed or turned off after hours if required. The applicant said directional signs would be non-illuminated but use reflective lettering for night legibility.

Traffic and access implications were raised during the testimony. Members questioned the safety of certain left-turn movements and whether signs could inadvertently encourage problematic turns. The applicant said the county (Somerset) has jurisdiction over main road access and that earlier site-plan approvals and traffic engineering studies supported the proposed movements; the board recorded its concern and left some signage locations subject to final engineering review.

After testimony and discussion, the board moved to approve the revised sign plans and variances with the conditions discussed that evening, including reducing monument signs from 75 to 55 square feet and limiting monument height to six feet. The motion was made and seconded and carried on roll call with one recorded 'No' vote noted in the minutes.

The board tied the approval to standard conditions requiring compliance with municipal consultant review letters and any engineering details needed to ensure safe sightlines and compliance with right-of-way setbacks. The applicant will return final shop drawings and utility/illumination details to municipal staff for administrative review.

Meeting minutes show the board approved the sign package subject to those conditions; the planning board's action finalizes the signage direction for the Bed 1 site and clears a key outstanding design item for the development team.

What happens next: The applicant must supply final sign shop drawings and comply with the board's standard conditions and the engineering report before installation is permitted.