Johnny Mac’s festooning must come down
Mandate part of final expansion approval, McGillion plans fight
Johnny Mac’s owner John McGillion may have won the war but lost an important battle during Monday night’s final site plan approval for the expansion project that carries from his flagship Johnny Mac’s House of Spirits at 208 Main Street to the 212 Main Street location of Mary Mac’s.
While Planning Board members unanimously granted final site plan approval [at right] for the remaining three phases of the four-phase extension, they required that none of Johnny Mac’s trademark ‘festooning’ can be seen from the street.
This means the traditional Irish pub witticisms and artifacts McGillion has adorned on to his original building and on the side façade of Mary Mac’s must be removed or screened from street view.
But McGillion said he will not agree to such a stipulation.
“We are not signing, we are not signing,” McGillion said of the resolution that will presented in a few weeks’ time. “The audacity that this has been here for five years and now they are turning around and saying take it down.
“We are now saying we will take you to court,” McGillion said. “We are not agreeing to [the removal of the signs] and we are not agreeing to the parking provision.”
Any business developing over 10,000 square feet of new space must provide additional parking per city rules. In this case, McGillion must provide 16 additional parking spaces for his expansion’s additional 18,000 square-feet of development.
Instead, McGillion said he will look to provide parking at the nearby YMCA building he owns.
At the heart of the argument is whether or not the Planning Board, in its July 2013 project resolution of approval, stipulated the removal of McGillion’s festooning. Board members say they did, McGillion says they did not.
“The project as proposed has a number of façades facing Main Street that will contain windows,” the resolution stated. “The applicant agrees not to ‘festoon’ those windows or the facades with items such as paper signs, pictures, mannequins or novelty items. The intent being to avoid any clutter on the facades. The windows existing on the original Johnny Mac location shall comply with the applicable City ordinances relating to coverage.”
The city’s signage ordinance prevents a business owner from covering more than 20 percent of their windows. McGillion says he has covered only 17 percent of the 208 Main Street windows.
Under the July 2013 resolution, the Planning Board stipulated:
“The applicant will not modify or change any of the signs approved by this Board in connection with this application [including the windows], or install any type of sign that has not been approved by this Board at the site as part of this application.”
Through the years there have been summonses for violations [eventually dismissed] and repeated hearings for McGillion’s festooning but the Planning Board voted Monday that all festooning must be removed if the project is to move forward.
“How can you say it’s a reasonable condition to take down all the decorations that people enjoy and that is a draw to your business,” said Diane Nero, project planner. “It might not be the Board’s taste, it might not be your taste, it might me my taste, but the fact is John [McGillion] has created a very successful business here catering to a customer that enjoys it. That’s the bottom line. It’s almost related to a branding of a business.”
McGillion estimates that over 2,000 patrons visit Johnny Mac’s in a given week. Today, McGillion said he pays an average of $30-40,000 in taxes but expects to pay an extra $70,000 in taxes once the project is complete.
When complete, the 200 Main Street block will house a beer garden, reception center, two covered outside bars, bathrooms, a new kitchen on the ground level, a second floor mezzanine and bridge, a new façade along Main Street, and roof improvements.
McGillion said his trademark festooning will be a part of the new design’s interior and outdoor spaces.
“This is what Asbury Park is all about,” project planner Nero said. “It’s an eclectic community, it’s a place that people can go to express themselves and here is prime example of that right here on Main Street. There is a huge historical component to the decorations and the themes. In general this is a snapshot of a man’s personality, his history, his sense of humor.”
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