UPDATED: Wednesday, June 24, 2015:
In a 3-2 vote, the Oceanside City Council voted Wednesday night to reject a request to install what would have been the first digital billboard along state Route 78 at Rancho Del Oro Drive.
Voting against it were council members Esther Sanchez, Chuck Lowery and Jack Feller. Supporting it were Mayor Jim Wood and Councilman Jerry Kern.
Original Post:
The Oceanside City Council will decide Wednesday whether to allow the first digital billboard to be installed along State Route 78.
The proposed 14 foot by 48 foot digital billboard would sit on city-owned property on the hillside above Route 78 near Rancho Del Oro Drive.
The proposed 25-year lease for the site would pay Oceanside a minimum of $180,000 annually. Representatives of BGT Media LLC, the company proposing the billboard, estimated as much as $500,000 a year could be paid to the city from gross revenues.
But Kevin Brown, founder of Scenic Oceanside, an affiliate of Scenic San Diego and Scenic America, said the illuminated billboard is not a fit for the area.
“The community in general has said they don’t want these signs,” Brown said. “Oceanside really is not listening. They’re putting money ahead of what the community wants, which I feel is not right.”
Brown said the city of Carlsbad, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Preserve Calavera conservation group, and many residents have also shared concerns with the Oceanside City Council that the billboard would be a blight and negatively affect the surrounding area.
Oceanside adopted regulations in 2012 that allow four digital billboards on city property along major traffic corridors. The pluses are extra revenues for the city, and a shared electronic message board space for Amber Alerts and city safety messages, as well as commercial advertising.
The neighboring city of Vista put plans for a digital billboard on hold two years ago, faced with community opposition and expensive environmental studies.
Oceanside has not required an environmental impact report for the project.
Brown said he and others would be at Wednesday's meeting to push for an EIR if the billboard is approved.
The open portion of the City Council meeting begins at 5 p.m. at Oceanside City Hall, 300 N. Coast Highway.
