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Council hears planner on off-premise signage; designation targeted for January 2026
Summary
A city consultant briefed councilmembers on restricting new off-premise billboards along the Delaware corridor, saying the city currently has few or no commercial off-premise signs along the route and that the city aims for a designation by January 2026 to prevent new billboards.
City planning staff (identified in the meeting as "Ellie") briefed the council on an effort to prevent new off-premise commercial billboards along the designated railway corridor (referenced repeatedly as the Delaware route/Tonawanda corridor).
Ellie said the city currently does not appear to have commercial off-premise billboards along the proposed corridor within the city's control. "Right now as it stands, I don't see anything that constitutes an off premise, commercial off premise sign that we get billed for," the presenter said, noting that much of the current signage is on-site business signage or temporary event signs that are permitted.
The presenter explained that existing billboards outside the city's control (for example, near the 290 and on vacant land in neighboring jurisdictions) would be grandfathered if already in place. The target timeline is to complete the designation process by January 2026; the presenter said anything erected after the designation could be subject to removal or would not be grandfathered.
Examples discussed: the presenter used a hypothetical Burger King sign to clarify the distinction between on-site signage (which the business may replace) and a commercial off-premise billboard (which would be prohibited on city-controlled ROW or property once restricted). "Burger King could because they are the business on the property," the presenter said when explaining on-site vs. off-premise signage.
Why it matters: The proposal aims to protect the visual corridor along Delaware and maintain residential character. Councilmembers asked whether any current properties along Delaware could legally host a billboard; the presenter said she did not find eligible locations within city-controlled property and noted that each jurisdiction's rules differ.
Next steps: Staff will forward the ordinance changes to the city attorney for review; the item was presented for discussion and to inform a future formal designation and ordinance amendment.
