Nov 19, 2008 - Infrastructure and Growth Committee Meeting - Camp Bullis Lighting Overlay Ordinance ('Dark Skies')
- Synopsis of the meeting:
- The Fort Sam Army spokesman reported some progress on the ordinance, concurred with it going to city council on December 11th, but still had issues with billboards
- Cibrian promised to include civic groups in the discussions between now and December 11th
- Draft Ordinance - Ordinance Copy (Downloaded at 6:30AM)
- Rod Sanchez - Zoning Minutes & Alledged Mitigations
- Ted Trakas - A critique of Mr. Sanchez's statement - "Did He Lie?"
- Ted Trakas - Comments to Infrastructure Committee on the Camp Bullis Lighting Overlay Ordinance
- Given a one minute time limit, I recited a list of findings by the Zoning Commission from the prior day
- Personal Comment: Boy, these 'fast track' (aka 'railroading') exercises with Cibrian are getting old. Anyone want to volunteer as the next VJ President??? My 'fun meter' is pegged
- June Kachtik (SSA) - Summary of Events
- "I asked for the definition of stakeholder and was told that it meant the military and Clear Channel and experts such as engineers. I asked that citizen interests also be involved, and Rod Sanchez was directed to meet with us as well"
- Tracy Idell Hamilton (Express-News) - "Dark-skies initiative gains Army backing"
- "Two of the three main concerns the Army had were immediately resolved, according to city staffers, leaving only the digital billboard issue to be hashed out by Dec. 11, when the ordinance — essentially a limit on lighting in new development aimed to protect Camp Bullis — goes before the City Council for approval"
- Elaine Wolff (SA Current) - "Clear Channel likes skies bright, citizens in the dark"
- "San Antonio’s digital-billboard pilot program was drafted loosely enough that Clear Channel was able to place several of them in Scenic and Scenic-Urban Corridors "
- Also see Research and Reference Documents
- An important issue - Includes 'Gutting' of Electrical Supervisory Board (ESB) - Web entry under construction
- Elaine Wolff (SA Current) - "Clear Channel likes skies bright, citizens in the dark"
- "Then, this spring, the ESB kicked back four of Clear Channel’s digital-billboard apps because they didn’t think they met the application criteria. The City quickly overruled the ESB’s decision."
- "Less than a month later, District 9 Councilmember Louis Rowe put together a Council Consideration Request to revise the role of the Electrical Supervisory Board. That proposal would make the board strictly an adisory and appeals board . . ."
- Note - Mr. Rowe's rush to protect his #1 constituent (Clear Channel) has gained him a good shot at wrestling the 'Chief Water Boy' title away from Rod Sanchez. (See San Antonio Elections)
- Ted Trakas - Comments to Zoning Commission on the Camp Bullis Lighting Overlay Ordinance
- Personal Comment: Commissioners were visibly perturbed with city staff about the ordinance.
- Tracy Idell Hamilton (Express-News) - "Input from Army, residents excluded from Bullis plan"
- "A proposed dark skies ordinance was stopped in its tracks Tuesday when the city’s Zoning Commission learned the Army had been left out of the process"
- Reidinger (the Army spokesman) "told commissioners the Army could not support the ordinance as drafted, in part because it allowed digital billboards. The Army worked closely with Bexar and Comal counties to craft their dark skies rules"
- "The Zoning Commission recommended that city staffers go back to work on the ordinance, making sure to include the military and nearby residents"
- Also see Research and Reference Documents
- Ron Sanchez makes motion to Infrastructure Board to strip power from the Electrical Supervisory Board (ESB), an independent citizen group
- "Clear Channel was represented by Frank Burney, who said that the Electrical Supervisory Board has been confused about its role, creating ill will."
- Comment - I think the 'ill will' comes from the fact the the ESB is one of few entities in San Antonio governance that doesn't give the appearance of being on the Clear Channel payroll. (TCT)
- City Hall tries to pull the plug on the Electrical Supervisory Board (ESB)
- "Sanchez is pushing the line that the board doesn’t really supervise anything since the state replaced its licensing function in 2003; the proposed changes really bring the name in line with the actual power (or lack thereof) it has, he says."
- "Ashkenaze disagrees and would, in fact, like to add stricter public-oversight provisions and regulation to the infamous Digital Billboard Pilot Program, with ESB’s input, a subject he was planning to bring up at the board’s October meeting”
- Ted Trakas (VJNI) - "Information Sheet for the Neighborhood Resource Center Conference" | B/W Version
- June Kachtik & Bill Bourne (SSA) - SSA Brochure (1.0 MB) | SSA White Paper (3.0 MB)
- "Like many participants and observers in this battle, especially those who showed up repeatedly at subcommittee hearings, council, and Electrical Supervisory Board meetings to register their opposition to digital billboards, San Antonio Conservation Society President Marcie Ince thinks Clear Channel’s hometown advantage sealed the deal"
- "Perhaps no provision of the local digital-billboard pilot program causes as much heartburn as the method for determining whether converting a vinyl billboard to a digital sign is a “significant” modification — a crucial distinction, because billboards along San Antonio’s Scenic Corridors can only be remade into digital displays if the modification isn’t 'significiant'”
Jun 19, 2008 - San Antonio City Council Meeting - 'Citizens to be heard'
- Bill Bourne (SSA) -
Digital Billboards Application Problems |
PDF - W/Notes |
PPT Version
- Jonathan Smith (AIA) -
Summary of Application Problems |
PPT
(And see backup slides for other billboards.)
- June Kachtik (SSA) -
Position Statement
- Ted Trakas (VJNI) - "Is San Antonio’s Billboard Exchange Program A Good Deal?" | PPT Version (Extended Version)
- Leticia M. Vacek, City Clerk:
- Complete Meeting Minutes (large file) - LINK
- Partial Meeting Minutes (Pages 1, 41-43) - Partial Copy
- Electrical Supervisory Board:Agenda (See Item 9)
- 'Pimple' Map of Locations: PDF Version | PPT Version
- Roderick Sanchez (Department Head, Developmental Services) - Request for City Council Action
- Revised Ordinance - Ordinance Markup
- City Staff - Executive Summary Off-Premise Digital Signs (Billboards)
- Opposition Statements & Presentations:
- Tenna Florian (US Green Building Council Central Balcones Chapter) - "1 Digital Billboard’s Carbon Consumption Equals ..."
- Ted Trakas (VJNI) - Statement to Council
- Council Voting Record
- Only District 7 Councilman Justin Rodriguez voted against the 'Clear Channel' ordinance.
- Leticia M. Vacek, City Clerk - Meeting Minutes
- KABB FOX San Antonio Report - ClipSyndicate
Nov 27, 2007 - Patti Radle (ON Walker Report) - "City Council considering approving digital billboards"
- The proposed digital billboard "will weaken the ordinance we past several years ago to protect certain scenic corridors"
Nov 08, 2007 - Eva Ruth Moravec, Staff Writer (newvine.com) - "Digital signs may be allowed in San Antonio"
- Roderick Sanchez (Department Head, Developmental Services) - "We’re going to regulate the heck out of them [digital signs]"
Sep 11, 2007 - Electrical Supervisory Board Meeting:
- Meeting Agenda
- See Item 5. "Public Hearing concerning Draft 'E' of proposed amendments to Chapter 28 of the City Code dealing with Off-Premise Digital Signs"
- Patrick Driscoll (Express-News) - "S.A. board's vote to regulate digital billboards at odds with Clear Channel's plan"
- Comment: But by Dec 6, 2007, San Antonio staff, Infrastructure and Growth Committee and City Council reversed these decisions
Civic and Neighborhood Groups - Pls copy and modify the below documents as needed for your own association
Nov 19, 2008 - Ted Trakas - Comments to Infrastructure Committee on the Camp Bullis Lighting Overlay Ordinance
- Also see Research and Reference Documents
- Also see Research and Reference Documents
- Summarizes San Antonio's digital billboard issue and what neighborhood groups can do about it.
- "San Antonio’s '4:1' ordinance is not a good deal for the city and its citizens"
- "I wanted to inform you that your example is having a general impact across the nation and congratulate you on the impressive leadership that you are showing"
- Main Report
- Appendix A. Exchange Ratios in the Digital Sign Ordinance
- Appendix B. City of Anaheim Case Study
- Appendix C. Billboard Revenues | Figure C-1. San Antonio Average 2006 Daily Traffic by Location
- Appendix D. Revenue Impacts of the San Antonio Digital Sign Ordinance
- Summary: "Making a profit is not a bad thing in and of itself, and government should play a role in encouraging business success and economic development. But government must always balance these goals with a concern for the public good"
- "Clear Channel has an impressive ‘home court advantage’ and the track record of San Antonio governance is not encouraging"
- "The officers and board members of Vance Jackson have approved a formal position statement in opposition to Digital Billboards, which calls for City Council to vote down the proposed ordinance"
- "Signs and billboards are an unacceptable pox infecting the San Antonio landscape. Allowing Off Premise Digital Signs only perpetuates the disease. Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth do not allow new billboards and are gradually phasing out older ones"
In this section, we track statements and actions of Clear Channel, which owns about 90% of the off-premise billboards in San Antonio
Sep 03, 2008 - Elaine Wolff (San Antonio Current) - "Kissin' cousins"
- Caution - There's some rough language on this web page.
- "Clear Channel VP Tim Anderson . . . confirmed to us that Clear Channel Outdoor Prez Blake Custer used to work for City Manager Sheryl Sculley way back in Phoenix, but never mentioned that the time lapse between his tenure at TXDOT — in the Right of Way division, no less — and a job at that same Clear Channel, was infinitesimal by comparison”
Jun 24, 2008 - Radio Business Report - "Clear Channel lays out future strategy"
- Bain Capital and Thomas H. Lee Partners, owners-to-be of Clear Channel, map future strategy
- "Advertising expenditures on outdoor digital billboards are projected to grow by 17x from 2.4% (2007) to 34% (2011) of the total advertising dollar!"
- Comment: Why so profitable? Once digital billboards are up, no one can Tivo them
- Clear Channel to buy 30% of its electrical usage in San Antonio from CPS' Windtricity program
- Comment: Admittedly a smart PR move since this is a good mitigation to the carbon issue in San Antonio. And yes, it does hurt to admit this
- Patricia quotes Paul Meyer, Clear Channel Outdoor chief executive, on the advantages of digital billboards, "There's no mute button, no on-off switch, no changing the station"
- CCO had outstanding results in 2007. CCO exceeded their forecast for the roll-out of digital boards in 2007 and are on track to accelerate the roll-out in 2008
- Includes an interview of Mark P. Mays, Chief Executive Officer - Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO)
- Mr. Mays calls digital billboards "a revenue accelerator" and "a great business that's got a growing audience, that's inescapable — you can't get away from it."
- Proposed removal of 48 30-sheet (282 Sq Ft) billboards from street locations and addition of 9 14’x48’ (672 sq ft) new billboards to highway locations. Exchange Ratio = 48:9 = 5.3:1
- 1 out of 9 new billboards was proposed to be digital
- Digital billboards will create "entirely new – and additional – revenue opportunities"
- Clear Channel and other billboard companies will enjoy dramatically increased revenues by converting passive billboards to digital design
- Comment: Billboard revenues are based on visual impact. Citizens and city officials need to understand that digital conversions can overwhelm and degrade urban aestetics
On the subject of billboards, Anaheim presents a good governmental example ('the gold standard') for open and honest deliberations and effective use of economics to promote the public good
Feb 06, 2008 - Planning Department, City of Anaheim - Request for Proposals for Billboard Exchange Program
- Comment: This begins a second round for Anaheim
- Also see Department Home Page
- Planning Department Report & Recommendations
- Summary of Proposals
- Council Minutes
- “25. Reject all proposals received . . . on the basis that they are either incomplete or do not demonstrate the level of community benefit necessary to warrant further consideration.”
- "Sheri Vander Dussen, Planning Director, reported that last April an RFI was issued to provide an opportunity to remove billboards along arterial highways in exchange for the right to construct new freeway oriented billboards . . . "
- Proposed removal of 48 30-sheet (282 Sq Ft) billboards from street locations and addition of 9 14’x48’ (672 sq ft) new billboards to highway locations. Exchange Ratio = 48:9 = 5.3:1
- 1 out of 9 new billboards was proposed to be digital
- "Sheri Vander Dussen indicated that at a workshop last December, Council had requested further information regarding the locations, size and ownership of existing billboards and options for reducing the number of neighborhood billboards pointing out this workshop would provide an overview of a subsequent written report . . ." (Note - The "workshop last December" took place in December 2005)
- "Laine Lawson, Clear Channel, remarked that his firm was seeking to come up with an exchange program to remove billboards out of residential areas and place them in more industrial commercial areas along the freeways"
- "Mayor Pringle recommended the RFI process and asked the City Attorney if billboard exchange agreements could be written in such a way as to be extremely limiting in its scope. Mr. White indicated staff could draft such an ordinance to accomplish Council’s goals"
Houston is good example for: (1) open and consistent governmental processes; (2) the effectiveness of a 'no new billboards' ordinance; and (3) true partnership between government and civic groups
Aug 14, 2008 - Houston recognizes a significant milestone - the first 100 of the 831 billboards have been removed
- Scenic Houston Press Release - "Scenic Houston Celebrates Takedown of Milestone Billboard"
- City of Houston Press Release - "Mayor Bill White Present for Removal of 100th Billboard from Houston Neighborhoods"
- Excerpt (Large - 3.3 Mb)
- Full Document (See Pages 105-154) (Huge - 12.6 Mb)
- "Clear Channel would remove 831 small and medium-sized billboards from across the city, 51 of them from designated 'scenic districts'. That represents a two-thirds reduction of all the company's billboards that are less than 288 square feet in size"
- "Blake Custer, president of the San Antonio division of Clear Channel Outdoor, told the commission that his company is 'ecstatic' about the opportunity to use LED displays but, if allowed, would move forward 'on a sensitive and balanced basis'"
News Items Relavent to San Antonio Elections
In this section, we seek commitment and accountability by tracking billboard statements and actions of potential candidates for office, including the next city-wid election in May 09
- May 29, 2008 - Diane Cibrian works to bring digital billboards to San Antonio: Hill Country View Article
- Dec 06, 2007 - D7 Councilman Justin Rodriguez is the only council member to vote against the 'Clear Channel' ordinance - Council Voting Record
- Oct 1, 2008 - Councilman Rowe moves to pull the plug on the Electrical Supervisory Board -
Bourne Email |
Meeting Agenda
- The supervisory board is a citizen group that oversee billboards. It is arguably the only COSA group that gives any appearance of independance of Clear Channel
- Comment: Our congrats to Mr. Rowe. This definitely puts him into strong competition with Rod Sanchez to win the coveted honor of Chief Water Boy on Clear Channel's team
- Aug 20, 2008 - Elaine Wolff (San Antonio Current) - "Blinded by the light"
- "Kevin Wolff voted to approve the digital-billboard pilot program."
- "His campaign coffers are $8,000 richer thanks to donations from the Mays (Mark and Randall, CEO and CFO, respectively, of Clear Channel Outdoor), Clear Channel Outdoor lobbying reps Martin & Drought, and Bill Kaufman, who lobbies for Clear Channel Airport"
- Nov 04, 2008 - Comment: Well, I broke a straight ticket to vote against Wolff, but he still won.
Here we track selected news items from outside of San Antonio
Sep 10, 2008 - David Baron (NPR) - "In Florida, Billboards Trump Trees"
- "Across America, communities intent on beautifying their roadways often plant trees. But in some places, those trees have encountered a powerful foe: the billboard industry"
- "Some people who live in the Hill Country say a disturbing new trend is popping off Highway 71 … and the signs are hard to miss"
- Alamo Heights and Olmos Park city officials ban the bright signs outright
- Bulverde City Council prohibits digital LED (light emitting diode) billboards
Apr 23, 2008 - Christine Pelisek (LA Weekly News) - "4,000 Illegal Billboards Choke L.A.'s Neighborhoods"
- Comment: Cities don't do well regulating billboards. Arguably, the only manageable, enforceable city ordinance is 'No new billboards'
- "It's been blown out of proportion that Indianapolis has sign problems. San Antonio has 1,940 outdoor advertising locations in the city limits. That's probably three times as many as in Indianapolis. Some people may say they emit visual pollution, but I say beauty's in the eye of the beholder" -
- Comment: So you can translate this as ... San Antonio makes Indianapolis look good. This is the accomplishment of San Antonian City Councils
- Discusses increased public financial liabilities for billboard relocations due to road modifications
Sep 05, 2007 - William M. Welch (USA TODAY) - "Neighbors hope to pull digital billboards"
- "Mark Legan has enjoyed his quiet, leafy neighborhood for 12 years, until someone threw a switch and filled his nights with bright, colorful lights."
American Institute of Architects (AIA) San Antonio: Position Statements
City of Houston
- Sign Administration and Permits
- City of Houston Building Code, Chapter 46, "Houston Sign Code"
- See Section 4612 (b) "Prohibition of New Off-premise Signs. From and after the effective date, no new construction permits shall be issued for off-premise signs within the sign code application area"
- Suggested topics: City staff monitor the billboard pilot more critically. City staff 'fast track' contracting for an independent, professional billboard study, such as the one that Anaheim directed.
- Mailing Adress - Councilwoman Diane Cibrian, City Hall Office, P.O. Box 839966, San Antonio, TX 78283
- Phone - 210-207-7086
- Mailing Adress - Mayor Phil Hardberger, P.O. Box 839966, San Antonio, TX 78283
- Phone - 210-207-7060/7107
- Home Page
- Charles P. Saxer, President - Digital Billboard Position Paper
San Antonio Conservation Society: Home Page | Position Paper
San Antonio Demographics:
- Census Map Book - Index Page
- Median Household Income by 2000 Census Block Groups - City Income Map
- Home Page
- Electrical Supervisory Board: Agendas, Minutes & Members
- Current Committee Agenda
- Note - D8 CW Diane Cibrian is chairman now.
- City Ordinance (See Chapter 28 Signs and Billboards - ARTICLE VII. Urban Corridors) - Municode
- City map of once protected roadways - Map
Scenic San Antonio (SSA):
- Home Page
- June Kachtik - "A Question of Safety"
- June Kachtik - "What do you know about billboards"
- Aug 29, 2007 - Aug Kevin E. Fry, President - Letter to Federal Highway Administration
- Web Site - Home Page | Resources
Texas Highway Man: Home Page | Traffic Statistics
Submit your drawing or cartoon to the contact information shown below, and we will post it if judged appropriate. All submissions become the property of VJNI.
Amber (Age 12) - Billboards are a waste of space
Ashley (Age 13) - Flashy billboards disturb sleep -
Autumn (Age 12) - Billboards cause severe health problems: burns and seizures
Teddy (Age 6) - Kirk, Spock and the Enterprise phaser an alien billboard
- Legal Notice: VJNI and its officers and members do not solicit or condone the use of phasers on billboards ;-)
The Future for SA Advertising?
Sep 04, 2008
Companies and advertisers will have more freedom to flash short duration advertisements with trashy or indecent pictures and messages, than they have with old vinyl signs that are up for weeks or months:
Click to see larger image
Massacre on Mulberry
Oct 7, 2008
A tree at the corner of Mulberry and I-10, which hid a new digital billboard, just got a ham-handed hatchet job. Coincidence?
Click picture for details
Protections Slashed
Formerly protected corridors in San Antonio are now vulnerable to digital makeovers:
Click picture for bigger view
(Special thanks to 'Texas Highway Man' for map support.)
The Perfect Storm
San Antonio, and particularly the north side of San Antonio, face a perfect storm for proliferation of digital billboards
2. San Antonio's ordinance makes exchanges extremely lucrative:
Click picture to see report
4. The billboard industry will target higher income areas:
Click picture for bigger view
5. The City of San Antonio is not staffed to credibly manage and oversee the billboard industry:
Click picture to see briefing
A Tale of Two Cities
San Antonio:
On December 6, 2007, San Antonio City Council passed a revised sign ordinance that allows exchanges of passive-for-digital billboards. [Meeting Records]
New digital billboards faces may now replace passive ones on scenic and urban corridors.
Anaheim:
On Sep 12, 2006, Anaheim City Council demanded industry bids against a Request for Proposal. [Meeting Minutes]
On Jun 5, 2007, Clear Channel, the primary billboard company in San Antonio, bid a proposal that had 9 times fewer digital billboards than what San Antonio allows in its ordinance. [Proposal] [Summary]
On Nov 6, 2007, Anaheim rejected all bids because they were not sufficiently in the public interest and compromised scenic protections already in place. [Meeting Records]
The San Antonio Digital Billboard Pilot
The San Antonio billboard industry has ingenuously crafted 'San Antonio Digital Billboard Pilot', which will have insideous consequences.
The billboard industry will try to make the ordinance permanent by promoting the notions that 'A 4-to-1 ordinance is a good deal' and 'Digital billboards aren't so bad afterall' based on the one-year, 15-billboard pilot. What's wrong with this?
Frog in Boiling Water
The full impact of the sign ordinance (and the inability of city staff to manage it for citizens) will not become painfully obvious for many years. But then it will be too late and we'll all look at 2008 as another lost opportunity for San Antonio to join the ranks of top-tier Texas cities, which do effectively control billboards.
So far, only District 7 Councilman Justin Rodriguez has shown commitment, wisdom and courage on this issue.