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Board approves relocation and LED conversion of billboard near Norfolk Southern yard with conditions
Summary
The Zoning Hearing Board approved Lamar’s request to relocate a billboard from the Norfolk Southern rail yard to 3737/3745 North Sixth Street, convert it to a single‑sided LED face and limit message transitions to six per minute; approval conditioned on PennDOT sign permitting and planning‑commission requirements.
HARRISBURG — The Harrisburg Zoning Hearing Board on Jan. 20 approved application 2596, clearing the way for Lamar Advertising to relocate a billboard base from the Norfolk Southern rail yard to parking at 3737/3745 North Sixth Street and to convert the face to an LED, electronically changing display, subject to conditions recommended by the City Planning Commission.
Jeffrey Knight, director of planning for the City of Harrisburg, described the proposal as part of a broader consolidation of static faces lost to highway projects and modernization of the applicant’s inventory. The proposed sign will be a single‑sided billboard facing east toward the Norfolk Southern rail yards, industrial properties along Industrial Road and Interstate 81.
Knight told the board the applicant plans to place the sign at the southeastern corner of the site, occupying what the applicant said would be a single parking space; the new location is within the city but abuts Susquehanna Township to the north and west. Knight said the relocated face will be within 250 feet of a residential lot line but will face east toward the rail and highway, which the planning bureau said mitigates impacts on nearby residences.
During the hearing Michael Adams, who runs Lamar’s real estate department, and Andy Reebuck, Lamar’s general manager, described operational constraints at the Norfolk Southern yard and the need for relief. Reebuck recounted discussions with the rail yard operator: “The guy that runs the yard there said, we can't get you safely to your billboard because we can't stop the Amtrak trains versus the Norfolk trains,” and he said the relocation approach provides a safer, serviceable alternative.
Planning Commission conditions adopted by the board require the applicant to obtain any necessary Pennsylvania Department of Transportation permits after the zoning decision and to limit electronic message transitions to six per minute, consistent with a prior board approval. The commission also noted that the proposed off‑street sign will retain a similar overall height to the existing sign (the applicant referenced a top height in the neighborhood of 60–70 feet) to preserve visibility from the elevated highway.
Chair Claude Phipps, acting as the hearing member for the case, moved to approve the application with the Planning Commission conditions; he said the location and orientation would avoid introducing a new off‑premise sign that faces residential areas. The Planning Commission had also confirmed Lamar contacted Susquehanna Township before filing; Knight said the township had been notified and the city had received no objection at the time of the hearing.
The board’s written decision will document the conditions and any required follow‑up; the applicant must secure PennDOT approval before a sign permit is issued.
