Last year the University of Minnesota Crookston, in Crookston, MN, approached the City about potentially placing a billboard on University property on the north end of town. The City modified its existing ordinance relating to billboard-related signage to allow a limited number of billboards along a major corridor like University Avenue. This allowed UMC to erect a sign. The change in the ordinance provided that in the future a billboard could potentially arise west of the Cobblestone Inn, a nearby location.
Enter a year later Sky Digital Advertising, who requested to the Planning Commission this summer to erect a digital billboard just off University Avenue on Crookston’s north end, as allowed under the modified ordinance. Interestingly, because of summer schedules, the planning commission did not have a quorum present and could not take any formal action. The commission members inferred that they might have recommended the proposed sign for council approval with little debate at that meeting as it conformed with the modified ordinance.
But, with nearby property owners given more time to get information on the company’s request for a conditional use permit, they are now voicing their concerns, some very actively.
As things stand now, the commission took no action at a meeting last week. The city council meets tonight and the commission is going to meet 30 minutes ahead of the meeting to provide their recommendation.
If the council takes no action on the conditional use permit request, it could automatically be approved later this month as the request meets the parameters of the city’s ordinance relating to billboards.
As the ordinance is written this would be the last sign that could be approved in the area.
Visit the Crookston Times for more detail on this story.
Insiders Take: We know that while as business owners, we don’t expect life to always be fair, we do appreciate consistency to allow us to make reasonable plans and good decisions. Let’s hope that the city council chooses to be consistent with their own ordinance modification as they make their decision.
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Interesting, in our community the State University does not have to abide by the City Sign Ordinance and has placed a few digital signs on campus, even facing city streets. City prohibits ALL digital signage.