City Council’s Economic Development Committee voted Thursday to advance proposed zoning code amendments that would allow billboard companies to request relocations—a change prompted by an unsolicited proposal offering the city an estimated $2.5 million in annual revenue.
The proposal likely comes from Lamar Advertising, a national outdoor advertising company whose name appears in city staff materials and whose publicly available inventory maps show billboard locations matching those slated for removal.
The proposal would remove 10 existing static billboards along arterial streets including Van Buren Blvd., Madison St. and Main St. In exchange, 10 new electronic, double-sided billboards would be installed: five along the 215, 91 and 60 freeways, and five along major arterials including Van Buren Blvd., Tyler St., Magnolia Ave., Indiana Ave. and 14th St. The deal also includes a one-time payment of $600,000.
City regulations adopted in 2005 prohibit new billboards and only allow relocations initiated by the city—not by billboard operators. The proposed amendments would authorize applicant-initiated relocation requests and designate City Council as the sole authority for negotiating and approving relocation agreements.
"We really do have a low amount of billboards in our city as it is, and most of them are on these smaller side streets," said Committee Chair Steven Robillard, who represents Ward 3. "We don't have a lot of freeway billboards, and this is not going to dominate the landscape as you're driving through our city."
Robillard noted that one proposed billboard location at Magnolia Ave. and Central Ave. sits at the center of the Midtown district. "I think it would be a great opportunity for local businesses in Midtown to advertise and make themselves known," he said. Business owners have told him the city's strict sign code limits their ability to attract customers.
Committee member Steve Hemenway supported the proposal, calling it a practical response to the city's growth.
Associate Planner Daniel Palafox told the committee that about 75 billboards currently exist throughout Riverside. The city banned new billboards to address visual and aesthetic impacts, but the existing code includes provisions for relocating certain signs—specifically those originally permitted by Riverside County on land later annexed into the city.
No members of the public spoke on the item. Vice Chair Clarissa Cervantes was absent.
If approved, the zoning code amendments would proceed to the Planning Commission, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 12, followed by City Council consideration in March.
City Council does not meet this week. The Economic Development Committee will consider billboard rule changes allowing digital displays in exchange for revenue sharing, and the Safety Committee is reviewing a shopping cart tracking pilot program.
