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Wheat Ridge council says yes to limited digital billboards, sets spacing, rotation and light rules
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Summary
After a staff presentation and industry comments, Wheat Ridge City Council reached consensus to permit up to four single-sided conversions to digital billboards subject to spacing, lighting, rotation, lottery and public-benefit conditions; staff will draft code language for formal hearings.
The Wheat Ridge City Council signaled broad support on Feb. 2 to allow limited conversions of existing static billboards to digital displays, with strict conditions on location, lighting and message rotation.
Jana Easley, the city’s planning manager, told the council that modern display technology and light-mitigation options have evolved, and that staff recommends a cautious pilot-style approach: up to four single-sided conversions, no change in size or height, and use of a lottery or negotiated distribution process to select which existing signs convert.
Council members voiced concerns about proximity to residences and traffic safety on I-70. Mayor Pro Tem Eric Holtine, citing public-safety and neighborhood impact, proposed a package of parameters that the council confirmed by consensus: a 2,500-foot minimum spacing rule as a planning principle, a cap of four single-sided faces citywide, a minimum message hold time of 10 seconds, and required lighting adjustments for adjacent residential areas. Operators will have an opportunity to negotiate an equitable distribution of available conversions among existing operators; if they cannot reach agreement within a specified period, the city will proceed with a lottery process to assign spots.
Staff clarified that the city does not directly receive advertising tax revenue from billboards (property tax goes to Jefferson County and permit fees to the city), and noted the potential public benefit of reserving rotation space for emergency messages and city public-service announcements if a conversion program is approved.
Council directed staff to draft code language implementing the consensus parameters and to research legal and procedural details — including CDOT spacing requirements and whether public-benefit messaging can be codified — before bringing formal ordinances and a lottery program back for public hearings and council action.
