Zoning change sought to permit billboards
Residents of West New Castle Street in Butler had mixed reactions to the prospect of new billboards at the intersection of Hansen Avenue.
Jerry Oliver of Oliver Outdoor Advertising presented a plan to Butler City Council at Tuesday's meeting to install three billboards at the intersection.
Some residents who live on West New Castle Street near Hansen Avenue said Wednesday they would be fine with the presence of the billboards, while others said the billboards would be a nuisance and a safety hazard.
Therese Cunningham, who lives on West New Castle Street just west of Hansen Avenue, said the intersection already is prone to traffic accidents.
“You have people looking at the sign and it's a distraction,” she said. “It's not a great area to have a sign.”
Rick Bargo, who lives a few houses from Cunningham, said he wouldn't be bothered by the billboards.
“We can't really complain about that one when there's one there that's close,” he said, referencing a billboard near his house on West New Castle Street.
Council will vote on a motion to change the zoning of the wooded property from 1014 to 1018 W. New Castle St. from Residential 2 to Commercial 2 at Thursday's meeting.
If the motion passes, Oliver will present a zoning variance request to the city zoning hearing board. If granted, Oliver Outdoor Advertising will be able to install the billboards.
If rezoned, the property would join the houses and businesses across the street on either side of Hansen Avenue as Commercial 2 properties. One of the billboards would directly face Hansen Avenue, and would be a 10-by-30 light-emitting diode (LED) billboard.
Colleen Swarmer, who owns Rapp's Packaging on 1035 W. New Castle St., was not in favor of an LED billboard because her business would be close to the light.
“I'm the closest to it,” Swarmer said. “I don't want flashing neons disturbing us in the middle of the night.”
Raylene Caldwell, who lives near Swarmer on West New Castle Street, was in favor of an LED billboard.
“I'd rather have more light nowadays anyways,” she said.
However, she did express concern that the LED billboard would distract drivers.
Oliver noted that the intersection is busy and thus already well-lit, and said because of this the lights wouldn't be a safety hazard.
Butler Mayor Tom Donaldson agreed.
“I think it's additional lighting to the area,” he said. “The better lit an intersection is, the safer the intersection is.”
In addition to the LED billboard, there also would be two conventional, static billboards installed at the intersection. One would face drivers heading east on West New Castle Street, while another would face drivers heading west. They would each be 12 feet by 24 feet.
Oliver said the aim is to get the billboards up by winter, but acknowledged that the zoning hearing board may take several months.
The LED billboard would cost Oliver Outdoor Advertising $100,000, while the static billboards would cost $30,000 to $50,000 each.
Donaldson commented on the business privilege taxes the city would generate from the billboards.
“It's not that it's a big amount of money, but it's something where we were getting nothing and this is what we've been trying to do here is to change (that),” he said.
Joanne Wymer, who lives just east of Hansen Avenue on West New Castle Street, was indifferent to the potential of billboards being installed.
“It doesn't matter to me one way or another if it goes in,” she said. “They're putting them everywhere. I'm not going to be one to stop it even if I don't particularly care for it.”
