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Westborough planning department proposes tight rules for off‑premise digital billboards on I‑90 and I‑495
Summary
Planning Director Jenny Jingris presented a zoning article to allow off‑premise digital billboards only on commercial or industrial parcels abutting I‑90 or I‑495, subject to state/federal standards, Planning Board special permits, and a Select Board development agreement. A proponent suggested starting municipal compensation of about $65,000 per year.
The Advisory Finance Committee heard a presentation Feb. 9 from Jenny Jingris, Westborough’s planning director, on Article 29, a proposed amendment to Section 8.2 of the town’s sign bylaw that would create a local framework for off‑premise digital billboards.
Jingris said the bylaw would limit new digital billboards to commercial or industrial property directly abutting I‑90 or I‑495 and require full compliance with state and federal outdoor‑advertising regulations. "The purpose of this zoning article is to establish a local framework for off‑premise digital billboards," Jingris said, adding the proposal defers technical lighting and display standards to existing state and federal rules.
Under the proposal, any digital billboard would need a Planning Board special‑permit review and public hearing. Jingris said the Planning Board must find there are no safety hazards, nuisances, visual harm or adverse impacts on surrounding properties; if those standards are not met, the board could deny a permit. After Planning Board approval, the Select Board would negotiate a development agreement to secure public benefits and any mitigation before the Building Commissioner could issue a permit.
Jingris described items that could appear in that development agreement, including monetary compensation, community messaging time, emergency‑communications usage, restrictions on particular advertising categories and annual mitigation payments. She said the company that has approached the town mentioned a starting compensation figure of roughly $65,000 a year and that proponents have suggested the company would provide up to 15 hours a month of community messaging.
Committee members pressed staff on control of advertising content and legal exposure. Jingris and Town Manager Christy Williams explained that content restrictions cannot be written into zoning; they can be negotiated into a separate contract with the billboard operator. Williams noted the $65,000 figure is a negotiable starting point and observed that, if realized, that revenue would amount to only a modest per‑household benefit for taxpayers.
Supporters and skeptics asked about process and scope. Jingris emphasized the bylaw would tightly limit size, height and spacing (she cited a proposed sign face cap and a 75‑foot height limit), require a development agreement, and preserve the Planning Board’s authority to deny permits that fail the special‑permit criteria. She also noted existing state distancing rules mean some corridors already preclude additional billboards.
The Planning Board had opened a public hearing on Feb. 3 and will continue consideration Feb. 17, Jingris said. The committee did not vote on the article that night.
