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Adams Outdoor pitches digital billboard on village parcel near I‑94; village asks firm to seek DOT feedback
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Summary
Devin Renner, real estate manager for Adams Outdoor, proposed placing a digital billboard on village land adjacent to the I‑94 on‑ramp and estimated the village could receive "potentially high 5 figures, low 6 figures, annually" in rent.
Devin Renner, real estate manager for Adams Outdoor in Wisconsin, told the Village Board on July 7 that his company is exploring a digital billboard on a village‑owned parcel facing I‑94 near the Summit Credit Union campus. Renner said the firm would seek a 20‑year lease and that the village could receive "potentially high 5 figures, low 6 figures, annually" in rent for the general fund, with a portion of display time made available to the village for emergency messages and community notices.
The proposal would require changes to village code before a sign could be installed: current ordinances do not allow digital billboards, and Renner said plans would be subject to the village engineer's sign review and to Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) approval for setback and interstate visibility rules. "The DOT is definitely very strict on these things," Renner said, adding Adams Outdoor's early conversations with the DOT indicated the parcel could fall into an approvable category if the sign sat further back than industry norms.
Board members asked about nearby residential impacts, prompting Renner to explain the sign’s nighttime dimming and automatic brightness controls. He said the company programs signs to go dark between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., to adjust luminance based on daylight, and to cap brightness at levels the company compares with vehicle headlights and typical business marquees. Renner also described automated monitoring and a 24/7 operations system that issues alerts for outages.
Several officials urged caution on process and timing. One board member recalled a prior billboard proposal in the same corridor that the DOT did not approve. Another said the village should secure DOT clarity before spending staff time on zoning or lease details. Village staff told the board Adams Outdoor could pursue preliminary DOT conversations and report back; staff also noted any eventual lease or ordinance change would include content restrictions the village could impose.
The board did not vote on an ordinance or lease. Instead members gave Adams Outdoor direction to pursue DOT clarification, to provide additional information for neighbors and for Summit Credit Union, and to return to the board with more detailed lease and zoning options if DOT conversations are favorable.
