Johnny Mac's on Main Street in Asbury Park is my favorite bar on the Jersey Shore. Every time I've gone there I've found a new bit of trivia or bric-a-brac on the walls or the ceiling or on the outside walls. Now with a new expansion project by bar owner John McGillion, the township is trying to force him to cover up.

McGillion wants to carry out an expansion project from Johnny Mac to Mary Mac's that will include 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. The Asbury Park Planning Board members unanimously granted approval for the remaining three phases of a four-phase extension, but they required that none of Johnny Mac’s trademark ‘festooning’ can be seen from the street.

This means the quotes and pictures and artwork McGillion has used to decorate his original building and the side façade of Mary Mac’s must be removed or screened from street view.

The sides disagree about a previously-agreed to stipulation about the festooning. The board says they approved the expansion on the condition of the removal, while McGillion says it was never brought up.

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.

“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. This is what Asbury Park is all about. 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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