Mayor opposes crackdown on neon signs

RED HOOK, N.Y. » The village has been asked by members of its Planning Board to rid businesses of neon signs that customers know they’re open, but Mayor Ed Blundell questions the wisdom of the request.

Blundell said Monday that objections to the signs are based on them being a violation of the village’s zoning law, which prohibits the internally lighted devices in windows.

“There’s a little tension on the street,” Blundell said. “Certain members of the Planning Board wanted us to enforce, six weeks before the Christmas holidays, in the height of darkness in mid-November, [the rule that forbids] these neon ‘Open’ signs .... ”

Village Board member Jay Trapp, in a report on village planning and zoning issues, said the concerns come from Planning Board members who have asked why conditions in site plans are not being followed.

“We’ve been going over a number of sign regulations to ... address some complaints from residents, as well as Planning Board members, who have felt like ... they (the rules) haven’t been adequately enforced,” he said.

Blundell noted the signs are inexpensive and easy to place in a doorway or front window.

“A lot of storefronts, they need business, and the way they are lit, with the streetscape lighting, it’s hard to tell as a motorist if they are open,” he said.

“Also, our main streets are so fragile, all retail is, and everything helps,” the mayor said. “Retailers need that Christmas market, and the last thing they need is a village violation [notice].”

Blundell said enforcement actions should be taken only if a sign promotes a product or amounts to advertising.