South Plainfield City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VIII
Special Regulations
§ 540-54 Signs.
A.
Residential zones. The following signs shall be permitted in all residential zones:
(1)
A decorative sign, showing the name and/or address of the house or family, no larger than two square feet in area.
(2)
A sign advertising the prospective sale or rental of the lot upon which it is maintained or a sign identifying the firms engaged on a construction site and/or indicating the future use of the site. Sale or rental signs shall be removed within one month after the new construction has been completed. Maximum sign area in square feet shall not exceed 15% of the frontage of the lot along the street where the sign is to be located measured in feet.
(3)
A sign erected by the Borough, county, state or federal governments.
(4)
Identification signs for and signs announcing events of churches, schools, playgrounds, parks and public utility installations. Total area of signs shall not exceed 25 square feet in area on each lot. Such signs shall not be displayed more than 30 days preceding the advertised event nor 14 days after the event has taken place. In all cases, the organization sponsoring the event shall be responsible for the removal of said signs.
(5)
One sign shall be permitted for the purpose of identifying a multifamily, townhouse, garden apartment, or any combination thereof, but shall not exceed 20 square feet aggregate on both sides. Said signs shall not be allowed to project above the ground by more than five feet. Signs may be illuminated as long as the glare from the lights shines directly on the sign and does not permit light to illuminate beyond the property lines of the subject site. All signs shall be set back not less than 15 feet from each street right-of-way.
[Added 5-14-1998 by Ord. No. 1483]
B.
Business zones.
(1)
The following signs shall be permitted in the OBC-1, OBC-2, OPA-1 and RH Zones:
[Amended 9-21-2004 by Ord. No. 1679]
(a)
Those signs permitted in the residential zones.
(b)
A business may have up to a total of three signs for the purpose of identification and advertising. One of these signs may be a ground sign. The maximum area of the sign cannot exceed 32 square feet. The maximum height of the sign cannot exceed six feet. The maximum width of the sign cannot exceed six feet. The sign must be located a minimum of 15 feet from the property line and shall not be located in the clear sight triangle as required by § 540-18. No sign may cause any traffic hazard.
[Amended 3-15-2005 by Ord. No. 1691[1]]
(c)
Directional signs may be permitted on the premises; however, no such sign shall exceed six square feet in area.
(2)
Shopping centers, where permitted only, may display the following signs:
(a)
Each permitted use may have a sign located on or attached to the principal facade of said use. Such sign shall not project more than two feet beyond the building or structure line and shall not exceed an area equal to 15% of the front wall area. The bottom of said sign shall not be closer than 10 feet off the ground. Such sign may be illuminated but may not be of the flashing type and may not extend above the top or beyond the ends of the facade.
(b)
In a shopping center having walkways roofed over with a permanent rigid canopy or other such structural device, one sign may be hung from the underside of the canopy for each store or occupant in the center. These signs shall not exceed four square feet in area on each of two sides and shall not be less than eight feet above the walks. The signs may be illuminated but may not be of the flashing type.
(c)
Each shopping center may have one freestanding or pylon sign for each street frontage, provided that such sign shall not exceed 100 square feet in area on any one side, shall not exceed 30 feet in height, shall be not less than 10 feet from the ground, shall not be placed closer than 50 feet to a side line of street or property line, and shall be within the property line of the premises to which it relates.
(d)
Supporting frames for all such signs shall be of permanent materials, such as steel or concrete.
(e)
Freestanding or pylon sign may be interior lighted with nonglaring lights or may be illuminated by shielded hood or spot lights. No lights of intermittent or flashing type shall be permitted.
(f)
Directional signs.
[1]
Ingress. One freestanding sign may be erected at each driveway which provides a means of ingress for off-street parking facilities on the premises. The sign shall relate only the name of the use or facility and appropriate traffic instructions, shall not exceed 20 square feet in area for each of two faces, shall be mounted so as not to obstruct vision for a height of seven feet above ground level, and shall not exceed 11 feet in height. In such cases, as directional signs (ingress) are located within a buffer area, such signs shall not exceed 15 square feet in area for each of two faces.
[2]
Egress. Freestanding signs may be erected on the premises for the purpose of providing directions to traffic leaving the premises, provided that the number and location of such signs are approved by the Planning Board. Such signs shall not exceed 15 square feet in area on each of two sides, shall be mounted so as not to obstruct vision for a height of seven feet above ground level, and shall not exceed 11 feet in height. Within a required buffer area, not more than one such sign shall be erected in conjunction with each driveway which provides egress from the premises.[2]
(g)
Traffic control signs. Freestanding signs may be erected which are necessary to control and regulate the movement of traffic on the interior roadways on the premises, provided that the number and location of such signs are approved by the Planning Board. Such signs shall not exceed four square feet in area and shall not exceed a height of six feet.
(h)
Parking lot signs. Freestanding signs may be erected within the parking areas to identify particular areas or sections of the parking lot, provided that not more than one such sign shall be permitted for each 40,000 square feet of parking area, and further provided that such signs shall not exceed an area of three square feet on each of four faces nor exceed a height of 20 feet. In addition, freestanding signs may be erected at each end of a parking aisle for identification purposes, provided that such signs shall not exceed one square foot in area nor exceed a height of 11 feet. All of the above-described signs must be mounted not less than seven feet above the ground.
C.
Industrial zones. The following signs shall be permitted in the OPA-2, M-1, M-2, and M-3 Zones:
(1)
Those signs permitted in the residential zones.
(2)
An industry may have up to three signs for the purpose of identification and advertising the firm. One of these signs may be a ground sign. The maximum area of the sign cannot exceed 32 square feet. The maximum height of the sign cannot exceed six feet. The maximum width of the sign cannot exceed six feet. The sign must be located a minimum of 15 feet from the property line and shall not be located in the clear sight triangle as required by § 540-18. No sign may cause a traffic hazard.
[Amended 3-15-2005 by Ord. No. 1691[3]]
(3)
Safety and directional signs may be permitted on the premises; however, no such sign shall exceed six square feet in area.
(4)
Commercial signs may be permitted in the M-3 Zone, provided that each sign shall not exceed 80 square feet in area. No more than two signs may be permitted adjacent to one another on a single location. No sign or two-unit arrangement shall be permitted within 200 feet of another sign.
D.
General regulations.
(1)
No sign with any lighting or control mechanism which may cause radio or television interference shall be permitted.
(2)
No sign shall overhang a public right-of-way or passageway used by the public by more than 15 inches, and such an overhang shall only be allowed if the Construction Official, in consultation with the Traffic Safety Commission, determines that there will be no visual or traffic hazards.[4]
(3)
Signs may be illuminated; however, the actual source of illumination shall be shielded from the public view, with the exception of neon. However, no lights of intermittent or flashing type shall be permitted.
(4)
All signs with an area exceeding six square feet shall require a permit.
(5)
All freestanding signs shall be permanently installed in the ground. No portable signs such as sandwich boards or other similar devices shall be permitted.
(6)
Except as provided in § 540-63, Billboards, of this chapter, all signs advertising a product or service not sold on the premises or advertising or directing attention to another premises or any other signs not relating to the premises on which the sign is erected shall be prohibited. Such signs are commonly referred to as billboards and/or off-site advertisement.
[Added 3-23-2000 by Ord. No. 1531[5]]
(7)
All advertisements shall relate solely to the business or profession conducted on the premises and shall advertise only:
[Added 3-23-2000 by Ord. No. 1531]
(8)
Signs shall not be erected on or attached to or hung over any Borough-owned property, any other property owned by a public entity, any park, or any government building except an approved traffic sign or signs erected, attached or hung by a government entity.
[Added 6-17-2024 by Ord. No. 2313]
§ 540-55 Planned industrial district.
A planned industrial district may be permitted in any M-3 Zone, subject to the following regulations. Any industrial lot as permitted in this section where the owner intends to sell the individual lot will also become a subdivision and will be subject to the provisions of the subdivision regulations of Chapter 515, Development Review, of the Borough Code.
C.
Maximum lot coverage: 40%.
E.
All roads in the district shall have a paved surface of at least 40 feet and a right-of-way width of at least 60 feet.
F.
Permitted uses. The permitted uses shall be the same as those controlling the zone in which the district is located.
G.
The provisions of this section shall not apply unless and until evidence has been furnished to the Zoning Officer that the building or buildings existing or to be constructed upon the site in question are or will be connected to an accepted public sanitary sewer collection system. (In the event that a public sanitary sewer collection system is not available, the provisions of this section shall become applicable only upon submission to the Zoning Officer of approvals of the State Department of Health, Middlesex County Sewerage Authority, local Board of Health and such other municipal agents as shall have jurisdiction therein of the sewage treatment and disposal plant or process to be utilized for the disposing of liquid and solid wastes and such industrial wastes as shall be generated from the site.)
§ 540-56 Dwelling design.
No building or structure shall be erected, constructed, placed, altered, enlarged or in any other way established in any residential district which shall have the same appearance, or a substantially similar appearance, as that of any neighboring building or structure then in existence or for which a building permit has been issued. It is the intent of this section to encourage diversity of building types and styles. Diversity may be attained by, but shall not be limited to, varying roof height, pitch, type and length; relative location of windows in the front elevation or in each of both side elevations with respect to each other and with respect to any door, chimney, porch or attached garage in the same elevation; and the relative location with respect to each other of garage, attached porch, if any, and the remainder of the building or structure.