The El Paso County Planning Commission on Oct. 16 voted unanimously to forward a special‑use application from Lamar Advertising to the Board of County Commissioners that would remove two existing static billboards and erect a two‑faced electronic message display (EMD) at 7950 Industry Road (file AL2515).

Planning staff explained the application proposes two 378‑square‑foot faces on a single 40‑foot pole and would use billboard credits created by removing two legally existing 378‑square‑foot single‑faced structures elsewhere in the county. The applicant requested a 4% reduction in the code’s spacing requirement — 384 feet of separation where the code normally requires 400 feet — citing property setbacks and site constraints. Miranda Benson, presenting for planning, confirmed the land development code requires verification that removed billboards are dismantled and the credits documented before issuance of a building permit.

The applicant, Justin (Lamar Advertising), told commissioners the company has operated in the county for more than 30 years and that the proposal would not increase the county’s total billboard inventory. He described the sign’s technology and public‑service role, saying the EMD will dedicate screen time to emergency messaging, Amber Alerts and county communications and will automatically dim to match ambient light. Justin said the sign will be programmed so messages hold for a minimum of four to eight seconds, will not use flashing or animation, and will not exceed 500 nits at night per county code. He also noted the vendor’s monitoring systems and an automatic shutdown feature for malfunctions.

Staff and the Department of Public Works reported no traffic or drainage concerns; a traffic impact study and road impact fees do not apply. The site is zoned I‑3 (heavy industrial) and lies within the county’s commercial airport overlay district; planning staff noted surrounding land uses are predominantly industrial and commercial.

A representative from Scenic Colorado, Larry Barrett, spoke against the application. Barrett said the removal of the two statics on major corridors is commendable but urged the county to require longer message hold times and more legacy removals per new EMD. He cited other jurisdictions’ rules — for example, Colorado Springs’ 10‑second minimum and Greeley’s 30‑second minimum — and recommended a larger net reduction in static billboards for each new digital unit.

Planning staff answered questions on code limits for message hold time and brightness, noting the Land Development Code sets the four‑to‑eight‑second hold time and the automatic dimming/500‑nit maximum as part of sign‑plan review; commissioners may add conditions as part of a special‑use recommendation but broader code changes would require action by the Board of County Commissioners and a code rewrite.

The commission’s motion recommended approval “in accordance with the attached resolution with 1 condition and 4 notations and no finding of water sufficiency” and forwarded the matter to the Board of County Commissioners for final action. Staff said verification of removal of the two credited billboards must be provided before a building permit would be issued for the new structure.