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Eatontown council introduces draft billboard zone for Route 35/36; planning-board review planned
Summary
Council introduced a draft ordinance to create a limited billboard zone around the Route 35/36 commercial center that would allow up to two billboard structures subject to DOT permits and local criteria; attorney recommended planning-board review for master-plan consistency.
The council introduced a draft amendment to chapter 89 of the borough code to regulate billboards along the Route 35/36 commercial corridor. The ordinance would create a narrow commercial zone where up to two billboard structures could be permitted, subject to state Department of Transportation permits and local design criteria, with the stated intent of preventing billboards in residential areas, in front of nursing homes, or directly adjacent to parks.
Attorney and mayor explained the policy rationale and legal limits: federal and state law and DOT rules preempt certain local restrictions, so the ordinance is drafted to permit limited billboard locations that meet DOT requirements while reducing the chance of billboard proliferation along the highway. The ordinance text will be sent to the planning board for a master‑plan consistency review before the public hearing on March 25. The council discussed whether two‑sided billboard faces count as one or two allowed signs and instructed revisions for clarity.
“Nobody in Eatontown wants billboards, let alone 20 plus billboards on our state highway,” the mayor said, arguing the ordinance narrows where billboards could be placed while acknowledging legal limits on denying permits on the basis of driver distraction. Attorney recommended planning-board review and adjusted language on how billboard height is measured.
