PROPOSAL FOR DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AND ENTITLEMENTS Sacramento County: Digital Billboard on Interstate 80

Transcription

1 PROPOSAL FOR DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AND ENTITLEMENTS Sacramento County: Digital Billboard on Interstate 80 Clear Channel Outdoor is pleased to propose a development agreement in accordance with the recently passed sign code authorizing such arrangements for new digital advertising signs. Our goal is to build a new, state-of-the-art 14 x 48 digital billboard sign showing to both directions of traffic on Interstate 80 at a location deemed appropriate for such signs under County and State regulations. Our proposal is designed to satisfy the County s goals of reducing the number of older signs located in areas that are less appropriate for such signage than they once were, and of the new sign s providing a benefit to the County. Clear Channel Outdoor contact: Rob LaGrone, VP Real Estate & Public Affairs robertlagrone@clearchannel.com (916) office (916) mobile Regulatory background: Our review of the County sign code revealed that when all of the different limitations and prohibitions are combined, very few sites are even eligible for new digital signs. Among those that are, we have identified none that can be utilized for such signs without at least one exception to a code requirement being granted. We have endeavored to minimize the number of exceptions we are requesting, and we hope the County finds them to be reasonable. Clear Channel Outdoor 401 Slobe Ave Sacramento, CA Call / Fax / Visit ClearChannelOutdoor.com /

2 Location of new sign: I-80, south side, east of Madison Avenue (5400 Date Ave.) height of sign prevents blockage of shopping center sign as required. 2. Placement is 75 from on-site sign as required. 3. Placement prevents severe blockage of billboard by oak tree in freeway right-of-way. 4. Sign is 720 from residential zone to northeast (500 required). 5. Setback shown is 25 ; minimal setback is extremely important to sign visibility.

3 Design of new sign: Much of the value of our digital billboards in the Sacramento market stems from our ability to sell advertising in networks. Branding is very important to such networks, and the appearance of the signs strengthens the brand. Therefore, Clear Channel Outdoor intends to install decorative covers on the column and upper structure as similar as possible to the one shown below. The structure itself is planned as a partial flag design in which the column is neither perfectly centered beneath the structure nor placed under one end. Its design provides for placement of the column in a grassy landscape area so as not to occupy driveway space or required parking stalls. The sign is intended to comply with the height limit of 50 feet at a setback of 25 feet from the I-80 frontage. A greater setback would very likely require a greater height to ensure sign visibility above existing trees in the right-of-way southwest of the sign. Sample Sign Design

4 Signs to be removed: Red stars depict removal locations; green star depicts new sign location. CCO has a significant number of signs with strong earnings on major surface streets within CPAC 2, but also some whose earnings have diminished as the neighborhoods evolved. We made an effort to identify signs located near the new sign s location. With 100% of the removals in the same CPAC as the new 672 square foot digital sign, we must remove 2,016 square feet of signage. The five removals identified total 2,208 square feet. Photos of the signs are below. All Clear Channel Outdoor signs that had been located within Special Sign Corridors in this area have already been removed, so we must request an exception to the normal requirement that 25% of the removed square footage be from Special Sign Corridors.

5 Operation of new sign: The requirements of the County code reflect the national operating standards by which Clear Channel already abides: maximum brightness of 0.3 foot-candles above ambient; automatic dimming using light sensors; 8 second display time; and no flashing or animation in the images. These standards make digital signs safe, but they also maximize their effectiveness. Neighborhood Outreach Plan: In years past many people feared that digital signs would pose either a nuisance or even a safety hazard. In some cases those fears were well-founded, as business owners could install small digital signs easily without knowing how to set the brightness properly and might set the signs to flash to capture motorists attention. Many people feared that digital billboards, with their larger size, might be considerably worse. By now the public has had a few years to see how digital billboards are managed by Clear Channel Outdoor and other responsible outdoor advertising companies. We will send letters to neighbors of the proposed digital site, explaining the safety features and operating standards that result in the easy-to-look-at images they ve been seeing on our digital boards, and we ll explain our advertising content policy. We will provide daytime and nighttime photos of our digital signs in the area to show that they do not cast more glare than externally illuminated signs and that the panels will be a part of the overall nighttime illumination environment in this commercial area. We will include maps showing that the distances and viewing angles will minimize the light cast by the sign towards the residences. Finally, we will provide question sheets with return envelopes for further correspondence with neighbors regarding any additional concerns they may have. Design Review Narrative Outdoor advertising is a somewhat atypical user of the County s design guidelines but nevertheless observes several important goals of the commercial guidelines: Section 4.3: Our new sign is placed to avoid the need for any tree removal, which might be politically sensitive or prohibited outright. Section 4.4.1: The clean, modern appearance of our sign s LED panels and decorative façade introduce a new design theme into a well-kept older property. Section 4.4.4: The aesthetic features described above convey an image of high quality and durability, far from a cheap or garish bargain structure. Section 4.4.5: Our precisely controlled illumination complements the blue accent lighting on the property s building to provide visual interest after hours in a way that conveys an image of a prosperous commercial area.

6 Section 4.5.1: Our network of digital signs do form their own type of district signage by establishing a strong brand identity through their common design theme, and their facades use colors and textures similar to those of many monument signs in upscale commercial districts. Proposed terms of development agreement: The agreement being drafted for proposal is intended to match the annual fee structure agreed to in an earlier development agreement executed between the County and other sign company in In that agreement, the annual fee paid to the County is $60,000 for five years, $80,000 for five years, and $100,000 for the remaining ten years. The revenue that will be lost from the signs we remove is projected to be modest enough to allow the fee, which does not occur in a typical lease in which the only lease cost is the rent paid under the property lease. The term of the development agreement is intended to match the term of the property lease, which commences on the first day of the month following completion of the sign and passage of all required inspections and runs for 20 years. It is very important for Clear Channel Outdoor to be able to extend the development agreement if and when the lease is renewed. Therefore we will request an option to extend the development agreement for an additional 20 years under the same terms, except that a reasonable further increase in the annual fee paid to the County will be specified for the renewal term. As an additional benefit to the County, Clear Channel will provide a certain amount of the advertising space for public advertising such as safety campaigns, emergency notices, promotion of civic events, and the like. Conclusion: Clear Channel Outdoor takes a very long-term outlook when planning digital signs, given their cost to build and their great advertising potential. We have endeavored to keep this proposed project as clean as possible regarding exceptions to the code, and we ask that the County consider the importance of the two exceptions that we deem necessary to our permit: 25 foot setback from I-80 ROW instead of matching the building s much greater setback No takedowns from a Special Sign Corridor, since we have none in the area We are available for discussions at any time during the approvals process.