Residents tell Seaside commission electronic message signs would 'ruin the neighborhood'

A string of Seaside residents on July 22 urged the Planning Commission to reject or sharply limit a proposal to allow changeable electronic message display signs on local streets, saying such displays are incompatible with residential neighborhood character.

"It's very invasive, intrusive, and distracting," Diane Nielsen said, explaining she enjoys sitting on her porch and values the quiet and natural night light in her neighborhood. Several speakers reiterated that concern; Lucy Ernst, a 45‑year resident, said such signage belongs in commercial entertainment areas, not in neighborhoods where children sleep and families live.

Hector Gonzales, a retired law‑enforcement officer, described a separate but related enforcement problem: unshielded LED decorative lights at a nearby church that persisted despite complaints. He urged the commission to consider alternatives, proposing a hybrid approach in which displays can be colorful in daylight but switch to a non‑emissive passive display ("more like an e‑book") at night to avoid direct light emission into homes.

Speakers asked the commission for concrete data: how many churches are on local residential streets, how many properties would be affected, and whether nearby residents have been notified. One resident suggested staff prepare a map showing churches on local streets so commissioners and neighbors can see the scope of potential change.

Commissioners listened and asked staff to return with clearer definitions of permitted technology, enforcement options, and an inventory of affected properties before making a recommendation to council.