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Committee supports narrow local rules to allow off‑premise digital billboards near I‑495 with public‑benefit conditions
Summary
Planning staff told the Economic Development Committee the proposed Article 32 would permit limited off‑premise digital billboards on commercial/industrial parcels abutting I‑90 or I‑495 under strict state/federal spacing and safety rules, subject to planning‑board special permits and a select‑board development agreement; the committee voted to recommend a letter of support.
Jenny of the Town of Westborough Planning Department presented Article 32, a proposed amendment to the sign bylaw to allow off‑premise digital billboards in tightly constrained locations along highway corridors (focused on I‑495). She explained the change is narrowly written to rely on existing state and federal safety and spacing regulations and to require multiple local approvals.
Key restrictions described in the presentation include: siting only on commercial or industrial property abutting I‑90 or I‑495; not within 500 feet of an entrance/exit ramp; not within 1,000 feet of another billboard; and a requirement that the billboard be within 500 feet of at least two businesses. The proposed bylaw would also set a maximum sign face of 680 square feet and a maximum height of 75 feet and require planning board review by special permit and a development agreement with the Select Board before a building permit is issued.
Jenny said prospective companies that approached the town indicated a potential starting mitigation payment in the range of $65,000 annually, with the option to provide several years’ payment up front. The bylaw would require any approval to include a development agreement to secure community benefits; those benefits could include dedicated hours for public‑safety messaging and emergency alerts and a portion of time for the town to display public information (Jenny said the company described 15 hours per month as a common offering). Fire and police chiefs provided letters of support emphasizing emergency‑message capability.
Committee members raised several questions about lease length and long‑term control, whether a second billboard could be feasible given spacing rules, the value and timing of the town’s dedicated advertising hours (time‑of‑day matters), and whether the Select Board can restrict certain content in a development agreement without running afoul of free‑speech protections. Jenny said zoning cannot regulate content but a development agreement negotiated by the Select Board may include appropriate restrictions and she will verify legal limits.
After discussion the Economic Development Committee voted to authorize the chair to draft and send a letter of support for Article 32 to the Planning Board and Town Meeting. The committee emphasized that the bylaw sets a restrictive framework rather than encouraging multiple signs and that any permit would be subject to public hearing and planning‑board findings of no safety hazard, nuisance, or harmful visual impacts.
Committee members asked staff to clarify several legal and technical items for Town Meeting (including the definition of “business” for the 500‑foot rule, whether MassDOT requirements for dedicated hours are negotiable, and the town’s ability to limit certain advertising through a development agreement).
