By Homeowners of Encino
City Planning Commission hearing on billboards Thursday (24 Sept) at 8:30, Van Nuys City Hall, Council Chamber, 14410 Sylvan Street, Van Nuys 91401.
On Thursday, Sept. 24 the City Planning Commission is scheduled to consider changes to the citywide sign ordinance, including a provision to legalize almost 1,000 billboards that either lack permits or have been altered in violation of their permits. The Commission is also expected to consider other changes to the ordinance that it first approved back in 2009, but the public has only been given a week’s notice of this meeting.
One of the most significant changes in the ordinance, the grandfathering of more than a dozen “applied-for” sign districts, isn’t even on the Commission agenda. This change alone, if approved, could result in hundreds of new billboards and other types of signs, including the digital with bright light and rapidly changing messages.
WHAT YOU CAN DO!
1. Send an e-mail to the Los Angeles City Planning Commission making the following points:
Address your email “CPC-2015-3059-CA, Citywide Sign Ordinance Changes” as the subject line. Send to cpc@lacity.org
The city should follow its “Public Participation Policy” and allow community input before any commission action.
Billboard companies should not be rewarded with amnesty for unpermitted signs and illegally adding second faces and making them higher and larger.
The commission should review all changes in the ordinance since 2009, especially the wholesale grandfathering of sign districts.
2. Please attend Thursday’s meeting and make your comments in person. Lobbyists for the billboard companies and special interests are certain to be out in force.
http://citywatchla.com/lead-stories-hidden/9651-los-angeles-sign-companies-calling-the-shots-at-city-hall-while-the-public-gets-lip-service
Another great background piece is the history of the sign ordinance posted on the CBBB website:
http://banbillboardblight.org/annals-of-inaction-l-a-s-new-sign-ordinance/
Exactly Nathan, I had an illegal sign crop up two blocks from my house off Washington. It wasn’t even digital, but had such bright lights illuminating it 24/7 my bedroom never got dark even with blackout shades. There were no trees or other homes high enough to block the light from my second story so the light from signs can intrude far into neighborhoods. If some think Lincoln is ok for digital, what’s to say that won’t expand to other 4 lane, high traffic streets like Washington and Venice? Thankfully I must not have been the only one that had problems with that particular billboard, because Rosendahl’s office took care of the problem fairly quick, but the law is currently on our side. Residences are too close to these main streets, including Lincoln) to change the law on digital signs and other high rise signs.
The commercial zoning on Lincoln, at least north of Washington, is only one lot deep. 40 foot high digital billboards will tower over the low rise buildings on Lincoln and spread light pollution into the surrounding residential areas, which are only 90 feet, sometimes less, away. We live in an area where neighbors can dictate what kind of houses people build on their own property (even beyond what the law says), so surely the neighborhood has a right to dictate whether digital, or any billboards for that matter, and built near them.
I have never seen such a silly issue as this. Should digital billboards be in residential areas? No. Should they be allowed on Lincoln Boulevard? Yes.
Should outdoor advertising be used as a source of revenue in places like Venice Beach? Yes. Apparently the City of Los Angeles has no money to open, clean or maintain basic toilets despite the fact some 16 million people visit Venice, but we’re supposed to believe there is no money for basic city services?
Now LA has found $100M to deal with homelessness, but where is the plan? Does anyone believe these people?
Nathan observed that commercial lots are next to residential. Lee has lived with that. Not good. Venice, unlike other cities that have commercial “areas,” is a commercial lot away from residential. Architect John Reed brought that to my attention. Look at all the commercial in Venice. Lincoln, residential behind it. Washington, residential behind it. Venice, residential beside and behind in some cases. Abbot Kinney on one side has residential and the other side, in some areas, has a parking lot. This is not conducive to lights, noise, parking etc. Dennis Hathaway, of Venice, has worked diligently on fighting billboard blight. Also he saw the picture of what-I- called a mural on Ocean Front Walk. See http://veniceupdate.com/2015/09/20/new-mural-at-paddle-courts-ofw/ He is out of town but will report it as an illegal billboard to Building and Safety. This is a hard fight because there is so much money involved in billboard advertising. Nick noted that it is money. Thanks for your comments. All who want to stop the billboard proliferation appreciate it.