Billboard numbers may rise

A new bill in the N.C. General Assembly could increase the number of billboards Orange County drivers pass, but not all officials are convinced of the bill’s merits.

Senate Bill 183 would allow billboard construction to override town ordinances regulating outdoor advertising and roadside vegetation.

Orange County statute requires billboards to be at least 1,000 feet apart.

Under the new state legislation, billboards would only be required to be 300 feet to 500 feet apart outside city limits and at least 100 feet apart inside.

This means a person driving at 60 miles per hour on the highway outside of town limits could pass a billboard about every five seconds.

Board of Orange County Commissioners member Barry Jacobs said the state bill is an attempt to circumvent local control, and he is concerned about the loss of county rights.

He said the county is proud to be a place of natural beauty that is uninterrupted by the clutter of billboards.

“Most citizens of Orange County would be aghast,” Jacobs said.

The legislation would allow billboard owners to bypass local ordinances in any county governing signs and the removal of trees, shrubs and grass along roadside property. Additionally, the bill would allow electronic signs to be placed within 1,500 feet of another electronic sign.

For Chapel Hill businesses, this might be an advertising opportunity that has been largely unavailable in the past.

“There’s a place for billboard advertising,” Commissioner Vice-Chairman Steve Yuhasz said. “Chapel Hill has been a little prohibitive, but I certainly don’t want to see the kind of free-for-all that this legislation could create.”

Yuhasz said there is a strong environmental ethic in Orange County that would likely not welcome more billboards.

County Planning Director Craig Benedict said no new billboards have been approved since he took office about 12 years ago. There are 26 county-monitored billboards.

Tonight the Chapel Hill Town Council will receive a recommendation from the town manager’s office that will prohibit electronic billboards among other amendments.

Illuminated, animated and moving signs are currently banned by the county, except when showing the temperature or time of day.

Yuhasz said he doesn’t believe the bill would ultimately benefit the county.

“In some areas where there are more billboards, they can be a distraction, especially (electric ones).”

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