The Los Angeles Planning Commission voted 6-3 last Thursday to limit the addition of new digital billboards to 21 specific districts throughout the city. The proposal now goes to the City Council for final approval. If passed, the council would decide on a case-by-case basis whether new signs may be built within a specific district. Opponents of the bill feel that it could leave itself vulnerable to court challenges contesting it's constitutionality.These kinds of discussions are taking place in cities across the country, as some fear that a lack of clarity in sign ordinances with regards to digital billboards could lead to digital signs on every street corner. Local municipalities such as the City of Tampa and City of St. Petersburg are facing similar decisions. The removal of antiquated traditional billboard structures in exchange for the right to build a limited number of digital billboards can be a win/win for the community. Hurricanes threaten the structural integrity of older, pole-mounted signs each year, and the current laws prohibit upgrades or reinforcement that could prevent potential property damage.
The thinking amongst law makers and the community seems to be that when it comes to billboards, we should have fewer. And a higher percentage of those remaining should be state-of-the-art digital signs that allow for the use of emergency alerts, hurricane evacuation messages, amber alerts and information about wanted criminals. Since each digital board broadcasts a rotation of 8 advertisers, the result is a smaller billboard footprint that creates more opportunities for local businesses.
