The Sign and Billboard Ordinance allows the erection of both off-premise signs and on-premise signs. Off-premise signs are commonly known as “billboards” and are used to advertise or inform the traveling public about goods and services not located on the same site as the signs. On-premise signs advertise a business on the site and are not regulated by this proposed ordinance.
The Sign and Billboard Ordinance prohibits the construction of new billboards except for the relocation of billboards on a two for one basis (one relocation permit can be issued for every two billboards demolished). The current ordinance does not address digital billboard technology. In developing this proposed ordinance, the City sought input from the sign industry, studied other cities, sought input from neighborhood groups and reviewed the guidelines published by the U.S. Department of Transportation, and Federal Highway Administration.
The digital billboard regulations proposed in the amendment to Chapter 28 of the City Code are consistent with and in some cases stricter than the guidelines published by the Federal Highway Administration. These regulations include: (1) minimum dwell time for static image display of ten seconds; (2) copy change of image must be accomplished within one second; (3) regulation of digital sign display intensity; (4) light intensity levels must automatically adjust to natural ambient light conditions; (5) digital single sign face only; (6) 2000 ft. distance requirement between digital signs; (7) signs cannot resemble traffic control devices or be animated; (8) sign owners must coordinate with the City to allow for the display of real-time emergency information such as Amber Alerts or natural disaster directives; and (9) in addition to the two for one provision, this ordinance calls for the removal of additional billboards when digital signs are installed (approximately four to one).
Currently, 1544 registered billboards exist in the City and ETJ. Development Services estimates 187 digital billboards will be erected over the next ten years. For every one digital billboard erected, approximately four billboards will need to be removed which could lead to a 42 percent reduction (648 billboards) of the existing billboard inventory.
The Electrical Supervisory Board recommended approval of the ordinance with amendments. Staff incorporated those recommendations into the draft ordinance except for two: (1) staff did not exclude non-conforming signs from the ordinance since this ordinance encourages the removal of such signs and (2) staff did not limit the number of new digital signs in the City each year to ten since the City has a number of sign contractors and this could lead to one of them pulling all ten permits for the year.
The Infrastructure and Growth Committee received two presentations on this item and requested and received additional information regarding other municipalities and the Federal Highway Administration.