Best Buy Sign Drives a 'Wedge' Between Developer, Residents

Cherry Hill residents, District 4 City Council members, Best Buy management and a representative from their development company met Monday night to discuss the proposed signage for the Best Buy slated to open in College Park Marketplace this fall.

The sign in question is the large blue wedge that adorns the façade of many Best Buy stores around the country. Currently, the sign in College Park Marketplace consists only of the gold Best Buy tag, and many Cherry Hill residents hope to keep it that way. They say the large blue wedge, which the Park and Planning Commission defines as part of the sign, is unsightly and would destroy the character of the predominantly brick shopping center.

"I believe the blue takes away from the uniformity of the whole market place," said one resident. "I think it detracts from the neighborhood."  

The real problem for most residents, however, isn't the blue color. It's that the sign exceeds the limitations set forth in the US 1 Corridor Sector Plan, which states that signs on businesses may consist of no more than 10 percent of a building's façade – Best Buy's proposed sign is 27 percent. Since the plan was only adopted last year, many residents are dismayed to see it ignored so soon.

"It's not like this is a 20-year-old plan," said Joan Poor, a 25-year resident of nearby Autoville. "This was a decision made in the last year. It's brand new."

But Brian Goldstein, vice president of development for Michael Companies, the developer of Best Buy, said the wedge is an integral part of the company's branding.

Though it was not included in the original agreement for the site plan due to its size, Goldstein said Best Buy was looking to amend the agreement to include the wedge.  He hoped a compromise could be reached with nearby residents, he said.

Neither of Best Buy's representatives present at the meeting - Goldstein and Kevin McGrath, College Park Best Buy's general manager - were authorized to broker any sort of agreement. The person best suited for that task, Best Buy's in-house developer, was out of town.

But the message delivered by residents was clear.

"We're asking for the Michaels Company to deny [the wedge] to Best Buy," said one resident. "And to compromise with them to put up something that would be consistent with what's already up there at the other shops."

Goldstein emphasized that it was Best Buy's desire not to incense the residents, but did say that the company remained interested in implementing its characteristic wedge.

Councilwoman Denise Mitchell summed up the sentiment of Cherry Hill residents: "Realize, you will have a fight."