Eau Claire may be done with deals on billboards on public lands

July 13, 2011

July 12--Four billboard signs that have been standing on Eau Claire public lands for decades could be torn down within a year.

Last week, the city Plan Commission rejected Lamar Advertising's request for permits to allow lease extensions for two Menomonie Street signs, but the city and company say that might not be the end.

"It remains an open issue," city attorney Stephen Nick said.

A representative from Lamar's Marshfield office declined comment Monday, except to say that the company is still negotiating with the city on the two signs.

Current leases for both of the Menomonie Street billboard signs end Dec. 31. If a lease extension is not approved by the end of the current contract, the signs would need to be taken down by the end of the year, Nick said.

The city is reviewing Lamar's contention that an original 1976 sign permit should allow it to keep a sign on the north side of Menomonie Street standing, Nick said.

That sign sits between Mac's Seat Cover Center and vacant privately held land. The other sign is across the street, nestled between Fabco Power Systems and County Materials, and is standing right next to the Chippewa River State Trail.

It's the proximity of the latter sign to the trail that bothered Plan Commission Chairman Rick Kayser.

"My big concern was I just didn't like the one because of the bike trail," he said.

The sign can distract drivers and obscure pedestrians and bicyclists using the trail, he said, which poses a safety hazard at the busy trail crossing.

Other commissioners opposed the permits because of neighbor opposition, a perception of billboards as blight and potential for development on the land, according to minutes from the July 5 meeting. Those supporting the signs noted that neighboring land already is used for industrial and commercial purposes, which is considered compatible with billboards.

The city and Lamar have struck deals in the past to allow a billboard to stand if others deemed more important to development were torn down.

The current lease for the Menomonie Street signs is linked to Lamar agreeing to demolish a sign at the intersection of Madison and North Barstow streets five years ago, which cleared space for development near Phoenix Park, Nick said.

Trending down

While the renewal of the two Menomonie Street billboards is questionable, two downtown signs are not expected to be up a year from now.

Leases for a sign at 617 S. Barstow St. and one that is midway down the Harding Avenue hill expire June 30, and city policy opposes allowing billboards downtown.

"We expect those two leases not to renew," Nick said.

The city's 2005 Comprehensive Plan says freestanding signs should not be allowed downtown and does not favor them in other locations either.

"While some billboards can be reasonably attractive, they essentially represent visual pollution and can have a severe negative impact on a community's visual environment," the plan states.

Commercial sign standards frequently have been an item on Plan Commission agendas as well.

"There has been a concern as to finding an appropriate place for billboards," Kayser said. "A long-term goal of the Plan Commission is to try and move billboards out of these conflicting areas and put them into areas where zoning allows them."

Industrial and heavy commercial areas are appropriate for billboards, according to city zoning laws. However, some built before the city adopted stricter laws were built on parkland and among housing, Kayser said.

Between the four signs that could come down within a year, the city received $10,300 in 2011 lease revenue.

For each billboard face attached to the signpost, the city receives $1,250 annually in lease revenue, with a 5 percent increase in each year of the leases.

Dowd can be reached at 715-833-9204, 800-236-7077 or [email protected].