Council gives consensus to allow one digital billboard by right in certain PADs along Loop 303, directs broader regulatory review

City staff briefed the Glendale City Council at its April 22 workshop on Zoning Text Amendment ZTA‑25, a proposed change to how digital billboards are regulated along Loop 303. Tabitha Perry, deputy director of development services, presented the staff report and asked the council for two separate items of direction.

Perry reviewed the city’s billboard regulation history: the city adopted static billboard limits in the 1993 zoning ordinance; in 2012 digital‑billboard rules were adopted for the Sports & Entertainment Corridor (Loop 101) that limit siting, spacing and require an 8‑second ad interval; and in 2016 a scenic‑corridor overlay was added along portions of Loop 101. The Unified Development Code (UDC) currently mirrors 101 standards for the Loop 303 corridor. Under the UDC, digital billboards are permitted only within Planned Area Developments (PADs) and must meet setbacks and spacing: staff noted a 300‑foot maximum proximity to freeway right‑of‑way, a 1,760‑foot (about one‑third mile) minimum spacing within a PAD, and a roughly 330‑foot setback from any property line that borders a different PAD.

Perry said the Loop 303 corridor has evolved into a regional employment and industrial corridor distinct from the sports‑and‑entertainment character of Loop 101, prompting inquiries from property owners about whether Loop 303 regulations should differ. Staff asked whether the council wanted to: (1) confirm a consensus to allow at least one digital billboard by right per existing approved PADs dated prior to Dec. 2023; and (2) direct staff to study whether a context‑sensitive regulatory approach should replace the current one‑size‑fits‑all model.

Council discussion covered the map Perry showed identifying existing static and digital signs and two PADs that do not currently meet frontage criteria (marked with red stars). Council members asked whether revenue from digital billboards is significant; staff replied the city receives some revenue (sales tax on advertising and rents when signs are on city land) but described it as not a large revenue source. Council members also discussed public benefit provisions — the city currently secures billboard time for civic notices along Loop 101 and council suggested a similar requirement could be continued for Loop 303 if regulations are adjusted.

Council reached consensus on both staff requests: to allow at least one digital billboard by right for existing approved PADs dated prior to December 2023 (which would enable two identified PADs that otherwise do not meet spacing/width criteria) and to have staff return for a regulatory review that could include context‑sensitive standards and options such as one‑for‑one static‑to‑digital exchanges. Perry said staff will pursue legal review and evaluate examples and return with options at a future workshop. No ordinance vote occurred at the workshop.

Details and clarifications from staff: two PADs shown on the map (red stars) were identified as not meeting frontage/width requirements under current UDC spacing rules but could be made eligible by the requested text amendment; a second set of PADs shown as orange stars already meet current rules and would retain existing rights; staff cautioned that any future rule changes must account for vested rights in already‑approved PADs and state requirements that limit removing previously granted entitlements.