Planning Board Approves New Princeton Shopping Center Signs After Marathon Meeting

Rendering of the proposed new sign at the Princeton Shopping Center Mall

At a meeting on April 3, the Princeton Planning Board approved an application by the owners of the Princeton Shopping Center to put up a sign saying “Princeton Shopping Center” at the Princeton Shopping Center (map). If you think that must have been a quick meeting, you would be mistaken. Signs are strictly regulated by local ordinances, and the meeting lasted 3 1/2 hours. It was, in fact, the second hearing that the management firm, Edens LLC, had to attend in their efforts to update signage at the 1950s-era mall. The previous meeting, on November 7, 2024, lasted 2 hrs 38 mins.

To be fair, the application did actually involve several signs. One large sign is proposed to advertise the Princeton Shopping Center mall and the businesses within to people passing on North Harrison St. Other, smaller signs are intended to direct visitors to businesses located in different parts of the mall. The businesses on the far side of the mall, next to Grover Park, are less visible to visitors, and most likely to benefit from new way-finding signage.

What followed was a painstaking examination of the height of the sign, the height of the letters on the sign, the spacing of the letters on the sign, the orientation of the sign, what businesses might be named on the sign, the location of the sign, and the amount of light emitted by the sign. (As one expert explained, “for measurements of luminance, as opposed to illuminance, one foot-lambert equals three point four candela per square meter”).

Eventually there was some grudging acceptance that the sign was probably OK, even if it was slightly larger than what was allowed by-right according to municipal ordinances. Planning Board member Jack Taylor described the Board’s deliberations as “thorough and conscientious” but said that they should probably spend even more time discussing it. One member of the public expressed concerns that the new signs might distract motor vehicle drivers. and thereby endanger bicyclists.

Mayor Mark Freda, who is now also a Planning Board member, attempted to summarize the concerns and move the application toward approval. The Mayor said that he found the signs to be tasteful, and would be a benefit to businesses at the Shopping Center. The Board nevertheless rejected the idea that the management company could include a message saying “Thanks for Visiting!” on the backs of the wayfinding signs. (“There is no benefit to them!” argued Board member David Cohen). Likewise the management company will not be allowed to add their name, “Edens LLC” to the signs. (“That’s advertising!” growled Planning Board attorney Gerald Muller.)

The application was ultimately approved unanimously, with conditions. The owners of the Shopping Center will still have to attend a third hearing, at the ‘Planning Board Landscaping Subcommittee’ to further discuss details of the approval, including the locations of new trees.

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