Are digital billboards in Raleigh’s future? City leaders debate new rules.
While digital billboards dot North Carolina’s highways, none are allowed within the city of Raleigh.
But that could change.
The Raleigh City Council is debating whether to allow the computer-controlled electronic displays in parts of the city.
Raleigh has fewer than 100 static billboards now, mostly clustered around South Saunders Street and Capital Boulevard.
The city is considering making 2,000 additional parcels eligible for digital billboards, including along NC-50, Wilmington Street, Glenwood Avenue, Hillsborough Street and Atlantic Avenue. They would have to be at least a mile apart and 200 feet from residential zoning on the same side of the street.
The council could decide to allow the digital billboards under a staff proposal, leave them banned or tweak the staff suggestions. One tweak could cap the number of digital billboards by requiring a digital billboard to replace an older static billboard.
Council member Corey Branch asked for the change back in September in an effort to help clean up older billboards. Branch was not present for the council’s discussion Tuesday.
‘Inundated by media’
Council member Jane Harrison said she wants to make sure any changes the city makes are good for is residents.
“I’ll just go on record, and I’m fairly Amish on this topic. I don’t want to see just bright lights everywhere and when I’m driving around them [saying], ‘Oh, God’ and being accosted by advertisements,” she said. “We are inundated by media in every element of our lives, so I’m just going to say, this is not exciting to me.”
Harrison could “get with the times,” however, if the new rules allow some older signs to be replaced, and the digital billboards don’t impair drivers or cause aesthetic concerns.
“I really am not sure I’m ever going to get to a place of comfort on this one,” said Council member Megan Patton.
“I think I’m reminded that we cannot regulate the content of the signs for First Amendment reasons. So things like alcohol, tobacco, firearms, we cannot prevent them from being on those signs,” she explained. “And I think about all of the media and messaging that my child is exposed to and other children across our city. And I don’t know that it’s incumbent upon us to make it any easier for that to happen.”
Possible public benefit
Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan Melton wants to hear more from the public but said he sees a possible public benefit in the signs displaying emergency communications or public service messages.
“Like if there’s an Amber Alert or community meeting or something where we need to get a public good out to as many people as possible, that could be a real benefit,” he said.
The sheer number of potential parcels that could see new billboards is “problematic,” Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said..
Raleigh leaders sent the proposal to the city’s Planning Commission for review. Once the Planning Commission makes a recommendation on the change, it will go back before city leaders and a public hearing will be scheduled.
This story was originally published March 20, 2024 at 9:58 AM.
