Omaha By Design: Omaha, Only Better

July 09, 2008
OBD TO HOST PUBLIC FORUM ON ELECTRONIC BILLBOARDS JULY 29

OMAHA – Omaha by Design will host a public forum on electronic billboards Tuesday, July 29. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at the W.H. Thompson Alumni Center on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

The forum will serve two purposes, said Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design. The first is to provide the public with background information on the issues surrounding the use of electronic billboards. The second is to give local residents an opportunity to voice their opinions on the subject.

The issue of electronic billboards surfaced locally in April when Lamar Outdoor – part of one of the nation’s largest outdoor advertising corporations – erected five electronic billboards in Omaha in an apparent violation of the city’s zoning ordinance.

“In our opinion, it’s Wal-Mart all over again,” Spellman said, referring to 2002 when city council members balked at the proposed design plans for two new Wal-Mart stores in Omaha. When the company architect said Wal-Mart designs its stores to the minimum standards the community requires, city officials took action. They identified the need to establish a higher community standard of design and improve Omaha’s zoning and subdivision codes accordingly. The result was the creation of the Urban Design Element in 2004 and last August’s passage of a zoning code revisions package to implement the Urban Design Element.

“Omahans clearly expressed their desire for regulations that improve the appearance of Omaha and the connections between the city’s neighborhoods, commercial centers and civic districts,” said David Levy, an attorney with Baird Holm and a member of the Omaha by Design Advisory Committee. “And Wal-Mart proceeded with its new stores despite the tougher requirements, disproving the notion that appropriate regulation undermines economic development. Electronic billboards raise the same issues, but on a larger scale due to the potential for them to proliferate quickly throughout the city if not appropriately regulated.”

On June 3, the Omaha City council passed an amendment to the city’s zoning ordinance that clarifies the prohibition of electronic billboards. The amendment, effective through Dec. 31, 2008, will give the city planning department time to negotiate with the two billboard companies currently operating in Omaha regarding the potential use of electronic billboards in the city. Waitt Outdoor, the other company with a billboard presence in Omaha, has not erected any electronic billboards in the city to date.

“Omaha by Design is not opposed to the use of billboards in Omaha, electronic or otherwise,” Spellman said. “However, electronic billboards represent a significant new land use and therefore warrant careful study and appropriate regulation. We believe the public has a right to learn more about the issue before any change in policy is approved.”

Parking for the forum will be available in the alumni center lot. For more information, contact Omaha by Design at 402.342.3458 or info@omahabydesign.org.