City Council Adoption
The City Council adopted Substitute Ordinance No. 28009 on August 9, 2011, concerning revisions to the sign code, based upon the Planning Commission's recommendations, that would prohibit digital billboards, modify certain definitions, change uses and zones buffered from billboards, and change the way nonconforming billboards are addressed.
City Council Public Hearing
The City Council conducted a public hearing on July 19, 2011 to receive public comment on potential revisions to the sign code as recommended by the Planning Commission.
Planning Commission Recommendation
After consideration of public testimony, the Planning Commission completed their Findings and Recommendations Report to the City Council at their meeting on May 18, 2011. In brief, the Commission has recommended that digital billboards be prohibited in the City of Tacoma and has provided proposed code amendments to that effect. The following documents describe the recommendation in detail.
Planning Commission Public Hearing
The Planning Commission conducted a public hearing on March 16, 2011, concerning the proposed Zoning Code revisions for billboards, and kept the hearing record open through March 25. Thirty-three (33) citizens testified at the public hearing, and 245 pieces of written were received.
A summary of the oral testimony and all written comments are compiled into two volumes, as posted below. Also posted are the packets reviewed by the Planning Commission at three meetings subsequent to the public hearing.
Information Prepared for the Public Hearing on March 16, 2011
Special Notice - New Information
When the Settlement Agreement between the City and Clear Channel Outdoor was signed by City officials, it had with it three exhibits:
- A list of proposed locations for the first ten digital billboards.
- A list of billboards and structures to be removed in exchange for allowing the first ten digital billboards.
- A list of billboard relocation permits to be relinquished.
The official exhibits are those on file with the City Clerk. However, staff was inadvertently working from a different version of the second exhibit. This different version was used for mapping and analysis which was provided to the Planning Commission and posted on the City’s website in February 2011. The map showing the billboard faces proposed for removal has been corrected, as have the staff report and the related exhibit. The correct information is provided in the following documents:
What is the effect of this new information?
Throughout the analysis and in all presentations, staff have referred to the removal of 53 billboard faces. However, the correct number is 54. In addition, those removals will now occur at 30 different sites, rather than 33 sites. The corrected list shows the complete removal of more structures, 25 instead of 21, but one less rooftop sign removal, five instead of six. In most cases, the changes are to the number of faces removed from a single structure. However, there are four sites where total removal of billboard faces and structure has changed.
There are two sites where both billboard faces and the structure were proposed to be removed, but the corrected list shows that no changes will be made. Those are at 7017 South Tacoma Way and at 1215 Martin Luther King Way.
There are two sites where no removals were proposed, but the corrected list shows that both faces and the structure will be removed. Those are at 5441 South Sheridan and 2102 South 12th Street.
Summary of Removed Billboards
|
Faces removed
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53
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54
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|
Sites impacted
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33
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30
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|
Full structures removed
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21
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25
|
|
Rooftop faces removed
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6
|
5
|
|
Square footage of faces removed
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11,898
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12,330
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Relevant Documents
Staff Contact