OCTOBER 8, 2009 ISSUE
The Business of Billboards
Watauga County Moratorium Ends October 23, Public Hearing October 20
116 billboards currently exist in Watauga County:42 on Highway 105, 29 on Highway 321 and 45 on Highway 421
Until October 23, a moratorium on all new billboards and all new off-premise electronic signs is in effect in Watauga County while the county Planning Board and Board of Commissioners consider proposed amendments to the county’s sign ordinance. In preparation for a public hearing on the moratorium, which takes place in the Commissioners’ Boardroom on Tuesday, October 20, at 6:00 p.m., High Country Press is looking at the business of billboards, including their prevalence in the county and the permitting process.
Background on the Moratorium
In April, after the Planning Board had spent 10 months readying amendments to the sign ordinance, the commissioners voted to extend a moratorium on all billboards and all off-premise electronic signs in the county until October 23 after Lamar Outdoor Advertising said the ordinance’s language was arbitrary. Planning and Inspections Director Joe Furman proposed the extension to give the commissioners more time to tweak the ordinance and change the language.
When the commissioners adopted the moratorium extension in April, they agreed to host public hearings to hear from constituents before the moratorium expired. After hosting a joint meeting on the subject with the planning board in July, the commissioners hosted a public hearing in August. Only five people took part in the August public hearing—two of the speakers were against the proposed changes and three speakers were for stricter regulation of the signs that they deem dangerous, distracting and an eyesore.
During the meeting on October 20, the commissioners are expected to vote on the proposed changes after hearing from the public. The public can access the amended Watauga County Ordinance to Regulate Signs by this Friday, October 9, by clicking to www.wataugacounty.org and downloading the full document. Hard copies of the proposed ordinance will be available to the public in the Watauga County Administration Building during the public hearing on October 20.
Watauga County—Home To More Than 100 Billboards
According to North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Technician Brandon Greer, 116 billboards currently exist in Watauga County—42 on Highway 105, 29 on Highway 321 and 45 on Highway 421—on what NCDOT classifies as designated outdoor advertising routes. A few billboards also exist on highways 194 and 221 in Watauga County but they are not counted in the total because the billboards were grandfathered-in prior to both stretches of highway being deemed scenic byways, according to Greer. Off-premise signs, or billboards, are not allowed on scenic byways in North Carolina, only on-premise signs.
Of the 116 billboards on designated outdoor advertising routes in Watauga County, five are considered automatic changeable facing signs, NCDOT’s name for off-premise electronic signs—the same signs that caused the original moratorium in Watauga County. Highway 105 in Watauga County contains two off-premise electronic signs—one digital sign near the propane office at the bottom of Rock Crusher Hill, and one tri-vision, or mechanical, sign near Broadstone Road. Highway 321 in Watauga County contains one off-premise electronic sign, located near Mystery Hill. Highway 421 in Watauga County contains two off-premise electronic signs—one digital sign at the Food Lion at the intersection of Old Highway 421 and new Highway 421, and one tri-vision sign at the western end of the county near Linville Creek Road.
According to Greer, Highway 105 in Watauga County spans approximately 11 miles, Highway 321 in Watauga County spans approximately 24.3 miles and Highway 421 in Watauga County spans approximately 25 miles. Based on that mileage, Highway 105 in Watauga County averages just fewer than four billboards per mile and Highway 321 in Watauga County averages just more than one billboard per mile. To find the average number of billboards per mile for Highway 421 in Watauga County, 10 miles must be taken out of the equation for the 10-mile span of Highway 421 east of Boone that is designated as a scenic byway and does not allow billboards. Based on that mileage figure—15 miles—Highway 421 in Watauga County averages three billboards per mile.
A Glimpse Into the Business of Billboards
Jamie Machut, vice president and general manager of Lamar Outdoor Advertising, said his company owns approximately 75 billboards in Watauga County, or 87 percent of the total number. Three of those billboards are considered off-premise electronic signs.
Machut and his company are not in opposition to the Watauga County sign ordinance’s proposed application to new signs but are concerned with any retroactive action to existing signs.
Machut said he has been in the billboard business since 1996 and, since that time, Lamar Outdoor Advertising has not had to actively pursue new locations for billboards in Watauga County, mainly because the business is established and county regulations prohibit building in many areas.
“Billboard regulations are so tight these days, it’s difficult to build anywhere,” said Machut. “Right now, we’re just trying to protect what we have.”
Machut has solidified few new locations as of late because “a lot [of the locations where we would like to install a billboard] are in non-conforming uses,” he said. “That’s why digital is so important for us.”
To install a digital billboard, Lamar pays more than $100,000 for the unit and installation, not counting permitting fees and other ancillary costs, said Machut. Typically, Lamar enters into long-term leases with landowners to install billboards on their property.
“In general, a lot of landowners use the lease revenue to pay taxes on their property. They’re our business partners, and they are very happy with the revenue we provide them. A lot of them are long-time residents of Watauga County—names you would recognize,” said Machut.
Outdoor advertising companies, such as Lamar, pay an initial non-refundable fee of $120 to NCDOT per outdoor advertising structure and then must pay an annual renewal fee of $60 per structure. All outdoor advertising structures in Watauga County must adhere to NCDOT and Watauga County sign ordinances. Once in compliance with both the county and state, outdoor advertising companies receive a permit emblem that must be displayed on its outdoor advertising structure. NCDOT’s permit emblem is a license plate that contains the highway or route number and a permit number for the specific sign.
Permit emblems are required for outdoor advertising located within 660 feet of the nearest edge of the right of way of the controlled route, including outdoor advertising mounted on trailers or skids, according to NCDOT’s Regulations for the Control of Outdoor Advertising in North Carolina. On-premise signs, official signs and notices, public utility signs, service club and religious notices and public service signs do not require permits. The NCDOT district engineer for Watauga County is authorized to issue permits on behalf of NCDOT after the applicant proves he/she have met all permitting requirements for Watauga County.
Want To Join the Debate?
Residents who would like to share their opinion on the future of billboards in Watauga County are encouraged to attend a public hearing on the moratorium, which takes place in the Watauga County Board of Commissioners’ Boardroom, located on King Street in the Watauga County Administration Building in Boone, on Tuesday, October 20, at 6:00 p.m. Just arrive and sign your name on the registration sheet prior to 6:00 p.m., and you will have three minutes to share your opinion.
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