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Council approves relocation and electronic conversion of ‘Welcome to Beaumont’ billboard after design and visibility debate
Summary
Council approved relocating and replacing the Welcome to Beaumont sign as a V-shaped electronic billboard at 1691 E. Sixth St.; council debated logo prominence, brightness/timing, visibility and precedent for future electronic signage before voting to approve the relocation and removal of the existing sign.
The Beaumont City Council voted Dec. 17 to approve an application to relocate and convert the longstanding "Welcome to Beaumont" billboard to an electronic V-shaped sign on a parcel at 1691 East Sixth Street.
Planning staff said the relocation application (Plan 2024-0108) follows code provisions that permit conversion to electronic signage subject to a relocation agreement and compliance with the city's outdoor lighting standards. The proposed sign was described in staff materials as roughly 115 feet tall by 48 feet wide with an eight-second ad display interval; the owner sought a slightly greater height at the new site to improve visibility over nearby obstructions.
Council members spent substantial time discussing design controls and precedent: whether the city seal/logo should be prominent on the sign, how brightness and timing would be managed under the sign code and dark-sky ordinance, and whether allowing this relocation would open the door to multiple electronic conversions. Planning staff said relocation agreements and permit conditions give the city authority to set terms and that the zoning code requires council review for conversions.
Alex Garcia, the sign owner, told council the existing billboard cannot be serviced at its current location and that moving the structure 20–30 feet to the west onto the Food for Less parcel is necessary to maintain readability. Garcia said converting to a digital sign would allow more affordable access for small local advertisers; he warned that sign competition and clustering could make investments uneconomic for independent owners.
Council approved the relocation and replacement after debate and a motion to adopt the recommended plan and conditions (roll call unanimous). Staff will require demolition of the existing structure at the old site as a condition of the relocation permit and will enforce brightness/timing and dark-sky standards in permit conditions.
What comes next: The applicant must complete required building and sign permits and comply with conditions in the relocation agreement, including removal of the old sign. Staff said future zoning-code updates will include clearer standards and photo simulations for similar proposals.
