Council approves first digital billboard in Berkshire County at Kids Zone site with conditions

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council voted Monday to grant site‑plan and special‑permit approval for a 12‑by‑24 digital billboard proposed by the owners of Kids Zone Child Care at 699 Dalton Avenue, making it the first permitted digital billboard in Berkshire County, according to the petitioner.

The council approved the petition with the conditions recommended by the Community Development Board: the sign must use downcast lighting so it does not protrude into adjacent properties, the board will review any operational complaints, and the display must comply with state brightness thresholds. Councillor Costa moved to approve the application with those conditions; the roll call vote passed 7‑2.

Nut graf: Applicants told the council the sign will provide advertising space for local businesses, carry emergency messages such as Amber Alerts and include a 5% community‑hours commitment for non‑profit messaging. Opponents and some councilors sought clearer technical information — especially on operational brightness and a to‑scale visual — before approving. The petitioner and staff said the proposed design uses modern LED technology that automatically dims to ambient light.

What the petitioners and staff said

Justine Dodds, the city’s Community Development Director, told the council the Community Development Board reviewed the site plan and recommended approval with two conditions: the lighting must be downcast and avoid intruding on neighboring properties, and any subsequent complaints would return the matter to the board for review.

Leo Robert, representing the owners, said the billboard would be 28 feet tall, sited between the childcare facility and an adjacent garage, and visible from Dalton Avenue and Plastics Avenue. He said the display will show static images that change every four to ten seconds with no animation or flashing, and that the units have automatic ambient‑light sensors to dim brightness in real time. “These new billboards are very, very smart, and they have sensors that, regulate the light every second,” Robert said.

Council debate and concerns

Councilors pressed for more technical detail on wattage, brightness and a scale rendering of the sign in its neighborhood context. Councillor Lampiase said the electrical and brightness figures should have been included in the packet and said she could not support approval without a clearer to‑scale visual and the wattage data; the petitioner later provided energy use estimates during the hearing (roughly 72 kWh per day at 25¢ per kWh estimated for monthly cost of about $540).

Councillor Cady asked about nighttime glare and the petitioner and staff responded that state rules cap billboard brightness at a small margin above ambient light and that highway displays differ from lower‑speed urban displays.

Council action

Councillor Costa moved to approve with conditions from the Community Development Board. After public comment, debate and a roll call, the motion carried 7‑2, and the council instructed staff to monitor compliance with the board’s conditions and state lighting limits.

Ending: The petitioner said the billboard will offer discounted advertising to local nonprofits and will be configured to display emergency messages for the city when needed; the Community Development Board and council will remain the review points for complaints about brightness or placement.