Massage parlors, tattoo studios could have hard time in Cranford

/Home/Tattoo Rules and Laws/Tattoo rules and laws-New Jersey

Massage parlors, tattoo studios could have hard time in Cranford
May 27, 2010
By Leslie Murray
nj.com

CRANFORD — The Cranford Township Committee will consider changes to zoning laws that would prohibit certain personal services from operating within the borders of the township. The committee additionally considered changes to the zoning language that would remove confusion over signage in the township’s business district.
During the workshop meeting on Monday, Zoning Officer Robert Hudak suggested a change in language of the zoning code could help limit retail service businesses such as massage parlors and tattoo parlors in the township.
Quoting from the zoning code, Hudak said that there could be issues where the township would be unable to easily differentiate between legitimate businesses and businesses that offered illegal services. While Hudak did not specifically reference the incident, the Cranford Police arrested two employees at a massage parlor in March for prostitution.
While applauding Hudak’s diligence, Mayor Mark Smith quoted a memo from the Downtown Management Corporation board that said the zoning chance was “trying to solve a problem doesn’t exist.” Smith said that further discussion of such zoning language changes would be held, likely in June.
However, Hudak warned that operators of such businesses have already called his office probing the restrictions on operations within Cranford.
While there was no decision during the workshop meeting, where committee members gingerly discussed the possibility of unsavory and illegal business operations, Commissioner David Robinson said he would have “a strong preference not to see some of these businesses in the downtown.”
Taking the talk of zoning change in a different direction which would eliminate confusion for business owners, Hudak and the committee members also discussed possible changes to sign and façade regulations in the business districts.
Relaying zoning issues that have appeared over time, Hudak said that township code regulating signs in the business areas did not line up with the signs and facades allowed in the township’s Special Improvement District (SID) ordinance. To rectify the issue he selected language from the SID ordinance and added it to the existing code.
Questioning the change, Commissioner Daniel Aschenbach asked if the new language would be extended to commercial uses in the Centennial Avenue business corridor. Agreeing with the spirit of the comment, Hudak said that new signage language could be extended to the B1, B2 and B3 zones that allow for commercial and retail use.