Missoula County to consider billboard ban in nine industrial zones
Martin Kidston
(Missoula Current) Missoula County this week will consider amending its zoning regulations to prohibit billboards in areas zoned for industrial use, though there may be an appetite to expand the proposed rules countywide.
Jennie Dixon, a county planner, said the proposal as written would impact nine industrial areas including Bonner, North Reserve and areas of West Broadway, among others.
The industrial districts include 323 properties.
“It's pretty limited in its scope,” Dixon said of the proposal. “It would prohibit instillation of new billboards in all areas subject to particular zoning, including prohibiting a second face on the opposite side of an existing billboard.”
The measure would permit existing billboards to remain in place within industrial zones, though they'd be treated as nonconforming signs. While that allows for normal upkeep and maintenance, it does not permit structural alterations.
“It would also prohibit reconstruction of existing billboards that are damaged or destroyed, where the cost of their replacement is more than 50% of the total cost,” Dixon said. “It would also permit only external illumination of billboard signs.”
The measure would effectively ban new digital billboards, though the few that have already been permitted would remain in place. Dixon said some are racing to beat the proposal's adoption and get new billboards permitted.
“We have since last summer permitted three (digital billboards),” Dixon said. “But we have people coming in almost daily now asking for billboard permits. Not only will this prohibit that internal illumination, it will also prohibit electronic billboards.”
The county's Land Use Board earlier this month voted 4-3 to recommend adoption of the new regulations. Those opposed raised concerns over how the rules would apply to vandalism of an existing billboard, or if a vehicle crashed into a standing billboard.
Dixon said studies regarding billboard bans cited improved safety by reducing distractions. Other studies have shown that billboards may also lower property values given aesthetic conflicts and unwanted illumination of the night sky.
“Studies have shown that billboards can correlate with increased driver distraction and therefore increased crashes,” she said. “There are findings in here regarding aesthetics.”
While the measure would only apply to industrial zones, commissioners questioned whether the proposal could be expanded countywide for the sake of uniformity. The county in 1995 did adopt policies regarding “off premise signs” that limited billboards to 30 square feet, roughly 10% of the size of a standard billboard.
Karen Hughes, director of county planning, said the county could consider a countywide measure at a future point.
“That's something we need to look at,” she told commissioners. “If we want to reduce the potential for the invasion of billboards and limit their proliferation, we can look at that. But it's less of a priority and not as urgent. This (proposed industrial policy) is the priority.”