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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981 04-08 Billboards will remain standing in Maplewood THE REVIEW J, Minnesota -4zip- Single Copy 30` WED.,APRIL 8, 1981 Billboards will remain standing in Maplewoodpl By MARY LEE HAGERT from being erected in Maplewood. He to lose that much?"Jorgensen asked the continued,"I find we are not the only city city council members. "Sign, sign, everywhere a sign — concerned about this. I find there are 'But you will take those signs and move clogging up the scenery. . ."are the many cities with ordinances prohibiting them elsewhere," responded Coun- words often repeated in a once popular or restricting billboards." cilwoman Juker. Top 40 protest song. Geoff Olson,city planner,pointed out "Not if everyone does what we are The lyrics of this song could easily have that Little Canada,New Hope,Brooklyn doing,"interjected Mayor Greavu. been sung by two members of the Center and St.Anthony do not allow new Joker said,"I think the 850 square feet Maplewood City Council on April 2 to billboards to be built within their city signs are way too big.I think they should emphasize their belief that there are too limits.Oakdale will only allow the larger be torp down.I'd hate to see anymore of many big signs "clogging" the land- signs through the issuance of special use those go up in Maplewood." scopes of Maplewood. permits. The defeated ordinance would have Council members Fran Juker and required off-premise signs to be spaced Norman Anderson unsuccessfully tried to SIDING WITH Bastian was Nancy 1,000 feet apart instead of the present 500 . pass the first reading of a new ordinance Jorgensen,assistant community relations feet. The Naegele Company prefers to that would have sliced the size of director for Naegele Outdoor Advertising have the signs from 500 to 850 feet apart. billlfoards allowed in Maplewood from the- Company of the Twin Cities,Inc. Juker said she believes the signs should present 850 square feet down to 300 square "We feel it(the 1979 ordinance) is a be separated by at least 1,000 feet.She feet• workable code.A lot of hours went into and Anderson both want to see tighter On a vote of 3 to 2,the council tabled the planning it." restrictions on where the'signs are proposed ordinance and dropped a Her company owns 12 of the 21 off- placed. moratorium,which prohibited billboards premise large signs in Maplewood.The Anderson argued that a large per- from being built in Maplewood. Naegele Company built the three large centage of billboard advertising is for The council had established the billboards along Highway 36 in 1979. national products and is of little benefit moratorium in December 1979, after "In the past 11 years,we constructed for the local businesses. residents complained about the size of three new structures.That hardly means Jorgensen explained,65 percent of the three billboards erected along Highway 36 a proliferation of signs.We believe your signs leased by her company were for that year. fear of signs is unnecessary,"Jorgensen metro area businesses in 1980.She added, Councilman Gary Bastian made the stated. 17 percent of the signs were leased to motion to table the ordinance so the city "We didn't even know about your cigarette and liquor companies and the staff could study it further.Voting with moratorium on building new billboards remaining 17 percent were for national him were Mayor John Greavu and for one year. We discovered it in companies and products. Councilman Earl Nelson. December of 1980." Greavu told the other council members "THE REASON I made this motion is She pointed out that there are two that he believes the national advertising our present sign ordinance in Maplewood standard sizes for off-premise advertising benefits the local business community. was worked on by members of the North signs.Smaller poster panels are rented "We have a tobacco and candy company Suburban Chamber of Commerce, for$250 a month.The jumbo billboards, herein Maplewood that is helped by these members of the business community and which measure 850 feet with extensions, cigarette sign advertisements." the city staff.It was considered a com- are hand painted and rent for$1,500 a Anderson concluded,"She(Jorgensen) promise that everyone could live with." month. gives convincing arguments, but I still Bastian stated businessmen had told Jorgensen estimated that each one of haven't changed my mind."I think the him they were dismayed that the present Naegele Company's billboards in. residents—I for one was stunned by the ordinance was already being revised. Maplewood is worth about$63,000.If the size of those two huge signs that went up "I'd be very concerned if we had had revised ordinance had passed, the on Highway 36." 110 new billboards built since the current company would have been forced to take Jorgensen responded, "I can un- ordinance was passed in'79.Since we down five of its billboards in Maplewood derstend your concern. Maybe our have only had three new ones built,I don't within the next four years.She estimated (Naegele's)mistake was to do three signs consider that a lot." - the company's loss for removing the signs at once.Maybe we should have done one Anderson said,"That's because of the would have been$483,000. at a time. moratorium." Anderson stated the "But we were anxious.It had been 11 moratorium had kept more billboards "HOW CAN YOU ask a small company years."