Billboard zoning expected to get OK in Peters

Thursday, May 31, 2007

By Janice Crompton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Motorists in Peters soon are likely to see the familiar wood and paper billboards along Route 19 replaced by light emitting diode -- or LED -- electronic signs.
Although the township banned billboards and other forms of outdoor advertising several years ago through a zoning ordinance, about a half dozen pre-existing billboards along Route 19 between the Upper St. Clair border and McDowell Lane were exempt from the ban.
Lamar Advertising, which owns four of the billboards at the intersection of Valleybrook Road and Route 19, planned to convert them to electronic billboards, but was turned down by the township zoning department. The company has appealed the decision.
After further review by township Solicitor William Johnson, it was determined that the township's zoning laws governing billboards likely could not withstand a legal challenge because the state recognizes outdoor advertising as a legitimate business, not to be banned by a local municipality.
To correct the flaw, Peters council on Monday held a public hearing before its regular board meeting to discuss a proposed ordinance that would address outdoor advertising.
The new ordinance, expected to be approved at council's June 11 meeting, would allow billboards as a permitted use in C-2 commercially zoned districts, and would include a series of provisions, such as a maximum size of 250 square feet, 750-foot spacing between signs and a requirement that billboards must be the principal use of the property on which they stand.
Owners would need to apply for permits from the township and state Department of Transportation, and electronic images on the signs must be maintained for at least 30 seconds, with no flashing.