Planning commission continues decision on proposed 60‑foot LED billboard at 1700 Duane Ave.; asks staff for safety and structural studies

The Santa Clara Planning Commission on April 16 continued a public hearing on a conditional use permit and related minor modification for a proposed single‑sided digital LED billboard at 1700 Duane Avenue, setting the matter for a date‑certain continuation on June 11 while staff researches traffic‑safety studies, illumination impacts and a possible structural collapse analysis.

The proposal would install a single west‑facing digital display mounted on a new 46‑foot supporting column with a 60‑foot overall height and a 672‑square‑foot face visible to southbound vehicles on U.S. 101. The applicant has asked for a minor modification to reduce the code‑required 1,500‑foot separation from other electronic message signs by up to 25%; staff said the requested separation would be about 1,125 feet from an on‑premise LED sign at 3250 Jay Street and about 1,440 feet from another billboard at 1130 Duane Avenue. As part of a billboard relocation agreement, the project would remove three existing billboard faces in the city (one face at 2983 El Camino Real and two faces at 3362 El Camino Real), a 3‑for‑1 removal required by city policy.

Staff planner Maya Patel told the…