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Staff warns Reagan Billboards likely to relocate a large sign on Main Street under state relocation code
Summary
Planning and legal staff told the council that Reagan Billboards has applied to relocate a previously permitted billboard and, under state relocation provisions, can move it within a mile to a commercial or industrial zone; the likely site near 521 North Main Street would require a lease and some landscaping improvements and could be costly to block via purchase.
City planning and legal staff briefed the council on an application from Reagan Billboards to relocate a billboard previously sited at 1400 North. Staff said the company has the right under state relocation provisions to move a billboard within a statutory area by right provided spacing and zoning conditions are met, though the city may enter a 180‑day negotiation window to find a mutually acceptable alternative site.
Planning staff said the company’s revised application includes a conforming survey and proposes a site near the "log cabin apartments" at 521 North Main Street. Staff noted the sign would likely be 45 feet to the top and have a sign face roughly 12 by 24 feet and that the company could maintain the sign face area and height under relocation rules. Staff also warned that refusing relocation could trigger eminent‑domain purchase obligations; a previous appraisal cited to council members put similar billboard purchase costs in the roughly several‑hundred‑thousand‑dollar range (staff referenced an appraisal of about $600,000 from several years prior).
Staff said landscaping requirements tied to the zoning and sign value would apply at certain sites and might reduce the usability of some parcels; staff indicated there are few good alternative sites on major arterials and that the most likely outcome, if a lease is secured, is installation of the sign at the proposed South Main/521 site.
Council discussion focused on limited options due to state law, how the 180‑day negotiation option works, and whether the city should pursue purchase or require removal as a condition of future relocations. No final action was taken at the meeting; staff asked for council input and confirmation of the direction they were pursuing in conversations with the billboard company.
