Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Signs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board denies request to reduce billboard spacing on Fort Harrison Road
Summary
The BZA rejected a petition by Margaret and Jeffrey Bowes to reduce the 1,000-foot spacing requirement between off-premise billboards so the owners could build a 24-by-12 sign; Department of Engineering recommended denial and board members cited aesthetic concerns and a pending sign ordinance rewrite.
The Terre Haute Board of Zoning Appeals voted to deny a variance that would have reduced the required 1,000-foot separation between off-premise advertising signs by roughly 150 feet to allow a 24-by-12 billboard at 1205 Fort Harrison Road.
Staff reported that the Department of Engineering issued an unfavorable recommendation and that staff offered no recommendation; staff suggested that, if any relief was granted, it should apply only to the commercially zoned parcel at 1205 Fort Harrison Road rather than both parcels listed in the legal description. Attorney Richard Shagley, representing Margaret and Jeffrey Bowes, said the Boweses had not received opposition during notice and argued the board had granted comparable reductions in the past. He also criticized the spacing rule as having advantaged an existing sign company in earlier years.
Board members discussed broader policy questions during the hearing. One member said the city is working to rewrite the sign ordinance to reduce off-premise billboards that "ruin the skyline" and noted efforts to protect the riverfront. Others emphasized that the board must consider each petition on its own merits and several members said prior approvals do not create a blanket precedent.
After debate, a motion to deny the variance was moved, seconded and carried by the board. The board recorded the recommendation to deny, and the petitioner was advised of appeals and other review processes.
