New Billboard?

[Thaine]

Not really a land use guy, but what should have been done?

On the one hand there's a proposed project, and tons of projects are talked about and not done, or done a decade later.

On the other the area is zoned commercial, which allows both the development and billboards. Obvious solution is to move it to a tempoary zoning type which doesn't allow billboards (and any other development right?). 

But don't the owners have some sort of claim that the City has denied them a valuable property right?  Can the City freeze development in the area just because it may do a project later on?  What if the development never happens?  How much does the City owe those folks who didn't develop?  What if it happens in 10 years, or 6 or 4 or 2?  Do they forego development until then, at their expense?

Seems to me the correct way to handle this is to shut the fu*k up about a development until the property is acquired.  Otherwise there is no way around issues like this billboard. You just have to pay for them.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Freezes on permits happen in some instances.  In the past liquor license permit applications where put on hold, like in Westport, until a study has been done to see if an area has too many or whatever.

[KCPowercat]

whoever owns that property is smart....forget the left hand not knowing thing....shouldn't there be overall regulations against sprouting up 20' billboards in our urban core...or at least downtown? 

[Thaine]

Freezes on permits happen in some instances.  In the past liquor license permit applications where put on hold, like in Westport, until a study has been done to see if an area has too many or whatever.

AKP and KCP
Liquor is different as its one discreet use and it has that whole morality thing.  And billboards are different in that those are also a discreet use.  You could probably have a moratorium on billboards in the central city or regulate their size or whatever.

I don't think you could have a moratorium on all development, though, so we'd still have a problem.  The guy could have put up a Butler building or done some other development just as easily as a billboard.

I absolutely agree that there should be regulation as to size of billboards inside the loop and would sign that petition.  I think everybody at the City would support that.

[dangerboy]

whoever owns that property is smart....forget the left hand not knowing thing....shouldn't there be overall regulations against sprouting up 20' billboards in our urban core...or at least downtown? 

This is exactly the issue.  There is little the city can do to regulate them within existing law.  Even the state has little regulation power.  It's simply about money.  The billboard industry is very powerful and puts a lot of money into lobbying, which isn't hard when the industry includes names like Viacom and Clear Channel...

[lock+load]

when the industry includes names like Viacom

It is CBS now.

[dangerboy]

FYI, Scenic Missouri is working with the city to rewrite its billboard ordinance.