A few local business owners in Mullica Hill addressed the Harrison Township Committee during their meeting on July 6 to discuss the possible adjustment of a sign ordinance.
The first person to bring it up was Nancy Daiutolo, the owner of Organic Soak, a skincare essentials shop, on Main Street. She was cited by the Historic Preservation Commission for violating the ordinance. They oversee any exterior changes, demolitions and relocations within Mullica Hill’s Historic District, where is Main Street is located.
“I unintentionally violated an ordinance of the town a couple of weeks ago,” Daiutolo explained. “I put out an A-frame sign that was larger and not to spec with the ordinance that exists now. I had appealed it to the historic (preservation) committee, because that’s who cited it, and they denied the appeal. They said because it was an ordinance, I had to discuss it with the (town) committee.”
According to the ordinance, which can be found in the Chapter 225 of the township code in Article XIII under general regulations, A-frame signs should not exceed two-and-a-half feet in width, four feet in height and must be wooden.
Daiutolo’s sign was within the size range, it was three-and-a-half feet in height and two feet in width according to her, but it was made of metal.
“My only reason for putting it out there is because Main Street is a busy road,” she explained. “It’s difficult to see the smaller signs from the street when people are driving by. I’ve been open about a year-and-a-half now. I advertise on social media and have people go ‘I didn’t even know you were here’. So, I think the street advertising is really beneficial to the small businesses.”
The hope for Daiutolo and these businesses owners is to modernize the ordinance while maintaining the historical integrity of Main Street.
Deputy Mayor TJ Coakley, a business owner on Main Street himself and member of the Harrison Township Economic Development Committee, said the EDC has discussed adjusting the ordinance themselves.
“I find it confusing,” he said of the ordinance. “I’ve been a business owner for 14 years and have run into the same things. So, the appropriate response is to one, clarify the ordinance as is, but that requires us to work with the preservation society to make sure we’re all on the same page about this type of stuff.”
“The wheels of government turn slowly sometimes,” he added. “We’re aware of it (the issues) and we’re going to be working on it.”
