Hawthorne Looking to Move Billboards

Screen Shot 2016-08-25 at 4.40.37 PMThe City of Hawthorne, California is moving to entice the owners of more than five dozen old billboards  to take them down in residential areas.

Since Hawthorne imposed a citywide ban on new billboards, the owners have been prevented from legally upgrading or modifying their billboard structures. But this week, the City Council introduced an ordinance that would offer billboard owners the option of relocating the old billboards to freeway-facing streets. Those who take up the offer would be able to modernize to digital displays.

City Planning Director John Ramirez said that the city has been looking at this as an option going on four or five years — to relocate the structures into an area that provides higher visibility on the 105 and 405 freeways to highlight local businesses along these major corridors, and move older structures out of city neighborhoods.

Screen Shot 2016-08-25 at 4.35.28 PMIf the ordinance introduced Tuesday is ultimately approved, nonresidential, freeway-facing stretches of Imperial Highway and 120th Street would be open to relocated billboards, as well as the southern portion of Rosecrans Avenue along the 405 Freeway.

The city isn’t going to force old billboard owners to relocate and modernize. The new plan, they say, is incentive-based and opens the door for individual billboard owners to negotiate a development agreement with the city.

Hawthorne plans on drafting new ordinance language to cap or otherwise restrict how close billboards can be to each other.

The city understands that billboards can effectively advertise commerce and improve the economic state of the city. The ordinance came about because advertisers were being denied permits to improve billboards.

Mayor Alex Vargas, who supports the initiative, said there are strong checks and balances built into the proposed new code to prevent a proliferation of unwanted sign displays.

Insider’s take:  On the surface, this looks like a terrific way for cities and outdoor companies to work together to meet each others objectives.  Will be interesting to see how it is out in to practice.

You can read more at the Daily Breeze.


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