Virginia Beach to consider allowing electronic billboards

By Aaron Applegate, The Virginian-Pilot – 11/9/2009

VIRGINIA BEACH
The city's long-standing anti-billboard policy will be tested Tuesday as the City Council gets its first briefing on a proposal to allow digital ones.

Since 1987, new billboards have been banned along with major repairs on existing ones. As a result, only 30 remain around the city.

Councilman Harry Diezel is sponsoring a change to the city's billboard ordinance that would allow electronic ones to replace some existing signs. The City Council workshop starts at 2:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Advertising giant Adams Outdoor wants to install digital billboards at up to three locations.

The company said it will allow the city to display, for free, emergency messages such as Amber Alerts for child abductions, alerts for terrorism events, bomb threats, police chases, bridge closures and hurricane evacuations.

"If it makes sense and the City Council sees the benefit, great," said Doug Lister, Adams director of community relations. "That's what we're hoping for."

For years, Adams challenged the city's billboard rules in court and lost repeatedly.

Some council members, such as Diezel, have said they support changing the ordinance, especially because the company is offering to post city messages.

Others aren't so sure.

"I'm afraid major charges would weaken our ordinance," Councilwoman Barbara Henley said. "It's pretty sound as it is."

Adams gave recent campaign contributions to Diezel, Councilman Glenn Davis, Mayor Will Sessoms and Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson.

The council members have said the money won't influence them.

Diezel's proposed ordinance says billboards may not exceed the size of the signs they replace and cannot be taller than 24 feet. Messages could appear a minimum of every eight seconds. Flashing, scrolling and pulsating messages would be prohibited, the ordinance says.

Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com