Fauchere wins zoning appeal

Milford — Southbound motorists on Broad Street will now be able to spot Fauchere Hotel signs. The borough’s zoning hearing board announced July 12 that an appeal by hotel owners Richard Snyder and Sean Strub has been approved. The approval will allow the installation of a new hotel sign on the north face of the building and the hanging of a sign advertising Bar Louis, suspended from existing free standing sign at the corner of the East Catharine and Broad streets. Existing signs all face south or west. Borough Code Enforcement Officer Duane Kuhn denied the original application and upon the appeal, the borough council agreed to support Kuhn’s decision in a non-binding recommendation to the zoning hearing board. The borough’s position was that the two restaurants that share the Fauchere with the hotel business are all jointly owned, so only two signs per street frontage would be allowed. Snyder and Strub argued that all three businesses have different staff, hours and the two restaurants have different levels of service. Additionally, he said the sign ordinance does not discriminate against common ownership in a multi-use location. The borough has 30 days to appeal the ruling to county court. Borough vice-President Dennis Gilpin said he was unaware of any appeal plans. Snyder said he was pleased by the decision and would soon erect the new signs. “We’ve already missed a good part of the season,” he said.