The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
A plea from a local small business owner at the February 13 Township Council meeting spurred the governing body to create an ad hoc committee to study Franklin’s regulations concerning business signs.
The committee will be comprised of Council Members Ram Anbarasan, Shepa Uddin and Mayor Phil Kramer, with assistance from Township Economic Development Director Vince Dominach and Principal Planner Mark Healey.
The business owner, Shani Madaminova of Leaf Haus in the Easton Plaza on Easton Avenue, told the Council that her nascent business is suffering because the signs she’s allowed to place along the highway are too small to attract motorists.
She said other retailers in the plaza share the same complaint.
“Please be aware that Leaf Haus operates in a highly regulated cannabis industry,” she said. “We are significantly limited in the ability to advertise in online and print channels. We heavily rely on banners and signs for visibility and attraction of customers.”
“The presence of this business in Franklin benefits the economic ecosystem of this town,” Madaminova said. “Our neighboring businesses also rely on Leaf Haus to attract customers as it serves as an anchor tenant in the commercial zone.”
Madaminova said that she understands the Council’s concern about signs causing clutter.
“We assure you that the signs we display will be tastefully designed, professionally produced, and maintained in a way that will respect the aesthetics of our shared community,” she said.
Madaminova said that her store is only generating about a third of the daily foot traffic it needs to remain solvent.
“It’s very tough with this signage issue,” she said.
Anbarasan (D-At Large) said that he has heard similar complaints from other small business owners in the township.
He said that Township Manager Robert Vornlocker told him that the Township’s sign ordinance is “quite dated.”
“So I think it’s appropriate for us to revisit the sign ordinance and see whether there is anything we can propose to promote our small business,” he said.
Anbarasan then proposed the ad hoc committee to study the situation and make recommendations.
Township Council Member Ed Potosnak said that while he has no problem with creating another committee, “is there any standing committee that it would make sense to bring this up in?”
Vornlocker said that the Council’s Land Use Committee would be the appropriate group to study the issue.
Anbarasan said that the idea of sending it to a standing committee was discussed, but he thought it would be more efficient to create the ad hoc committee so it could focus on just that issue.
“We’ll meet with staff and interview with businesses along the main business corridors and take input … then come up with appropriate amendments and take it to the land use committee,” he said.
“This sounds longer to me, to create an ad hoc committee that then reports to the standing committee. Could add one or two months,” Potosnak said.
“Timing-wise, I think this could get started tomorrow,” Anbarasan said. “We don’t have to wait for the land use committee, which meets once a month.”
“We could get it done in 30 to 60 days,” he said. “I think this is a more efficient way of doing this.”
“We need to look at the sign ordinance periodically,” Kramer said. “I take Mr. Potosnak’s point, we are getting a little ad hoc committee happy, but I will vote for this.”
