|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
Top Issues
Below is a summary of Scenic Texas activities. A more detailed report is
provided to our supporters in our quarterly communication.
2005 Legislative Agenda
Scenic Dallas will monitor the development of proposed bills for the 79th Legislature.
Review the session calendar, which convenes at noon on January 11, 2005,
by clicking
here.
For more information on the topics to be addressed click here and review sections "Help Support Proposed Scenic Legislation" and "For Background Information on Specific Legislation."
Billboards
Photo
courtesy Melissa Walden
Restricting billboards can greatly benefit a state aesthetically and fiscally.
Vermont, for example, realized a 50 percent increase in tourism spending
in the first two years after that state became billboard-free.1
More than 30,000 billboards clutter our Texas roadways. Approximately 550
billboards are added annually. While Dallas made great progress in April
2000 with a ban on new billboard construction, the blight continues in some
of our surrounding cities. Scenic Dallas supports the efforts of these communities
to join the 200+ Texas cities who already have ordinances banning new billboards.
We support Scenic Texas at the state level in its effort to help urban and
rural areas not protected by ordinances (go to News and
select Victory for Scenic Dallas in 2003 Texas Legislative Session under Press
Releases).
Click here for more Billboard
Facts.
Documents require Adobe® Reader®. Click here to download your free copy.
1 Source “Billboards by the Numbers.” 2000. Scenic America.
Supergraphics
Advertising
interrupts downtown view.
In
July 2003, the Dallas City Council approved the renewal of permits for
Supergraphic signs in downtown Dallas, with a two-year sunset
provision.
The Council overwhelmingly believes this form of giant signage adds interest
and vitality to the downtown district. These advertising signs cover
a minimum area of 10,000 square feet, allow 92% graphics (8% text of
regulated size),
and are allowed to appear on up to five building facades at one time.
According to city staff, public opinion is slightly favorable for this
type of advertising.
We hope building owners and advertisers will be good stewards of the
advertising content under their First Amendment rights. The next two years
of this “experiment” are
crucial to developing the future policy position of Scenic Dallas.
We want to know your opinion on this issue—go to Leadership_Contact_Us! and
select Supergraphics in the Choose a Subject pull-down
menu to make your request.
Electronic Traffic Messaging Signs
"Not in my back yard"? What about the FRONT yard?
On
January 9, 2003, the Dallas Morning News reported the initial
installations of large electronic message signs designed to flash warnings
of traffic tie-ups on highways, severe weather and missing children (go
to News and
select Street 'signs' of intelligence under In
Print).
These electronic message boards are well-intended.
However, citizens expressed great concern that too many of the signs were
located on residential streets. These billboard-size signs were deemed unsightly,
and were installed with little or no warning to the residents of these neighborhoods.
As a result, there is an informal halt on additional installations. A sub-committee
of the Dallas Transportation Department, comprised of traffic engineers,
architects, and neighborhood representatives, is studying this issue. Scenic
Dallas is also represented on this sub-committee as it studies options of
process, location and redesign of these signs for residential areas. We are
confident we can and will do better for our neighborhoods.
Ads on Street Furniture
The City of Dallas is considering options that it believes will increase
revenues via the sale of advertising on city owned/controlled assets in the
public right-of-way. Advertising signage may soon appear on such “street
furniture” as ad/info kiosks, bus stops, benches, on parks structures
and elsewhere. But what is the true impact on the visual values in our city
vs. the perceived benefits of a few dollars for advertising on a park bench?
Proposals are currently being received that will allow advertising on trash
receptacles, ad/info kiosks, public toilets, newspaper stands, parking meter
poles, bus shelters and more.
The current City of Dallas sign ordinance also allows such advertising on
private property. Spacing may be 150 feet apart in the retail and Main Street
sub-districts, and 300 feet apart in the Central Business District.
Scenic Dallas is closely monitoring potential negative impacts for pedestrians
and the driving public. Such proposals should go through public hearings
and the related processes. We will keep you informed so that your voice will
be heard. Check back to this site for periodic updates, or ask to be added
to our e-list for up-to-the-minute information. Go toLeadership_Contact_Us! and
select E-List in the Choose a Subject pull-down
menu to make your request.
Community Outreach
We welcome the opportunity to participate in community presentations. Contact
Ilene Perkett at 972.980.7200 or go to Leadership_Contact_Us! and
select Community Outreach in the Choose a Subject pull-down
menu.
Fundraising
Scenic Dallas’ spring fundraising event will be held May 27, 2004
at the newly-renovated home of Kathy and Harlan Crow. To receive an invitation,
go to Leadership_Contact_Us! and
select Spring Fundraising Event in the Choose a
Subject pull-down menu.
Help us continue the fight against visual pollution. Go to www.scenictexas.org to
give your support.
Billboard Settlement
From a 09/19/03 letter
by District 12 Councilmember Sandy Greyson:
The City of Dallas has entered into a settlement of litigation with
billboard companies that own signs along the George Bush Turnpike (SH190).
Fifteen billboards were erected between 1993 and 1998. The City maintained
that the signs
were illegal; the billboard companies claimed that the City's ordinances
were unconstitutional and the signs were legal.
According to terms of the settlement, two billboards on either side of
190 at Frankford and Marsh will come down permanently in 60 days. Two
other signs,
one
west of Preston Road on 190 and one east of Hillcrest Road on 190, will
come down permanently within two years. A fifth sign, located between
Mapleshade
Lane and 190, will be removed within seven years. These five signs were
the closest
to single family residential neighborhoods and were considered by nearby
homeowners to be the most intrusive of the fifteen. The ten other signs
will remain. These
billboards are located by various apartment complexes and on University
of Texas at Dallas land along 190; District 12 homeowners did not consider
these
ten signs
to be as egregious as the five that will be removed.
Many thanks to Assistant City Attorney Chris Bowers who spent many hours
in negotiations with the billboard companies to reach this excellent outcome.
And thank you to
the District 12 homeowners and the North Dallas Neighborhood Alliance who
kept
up the pressure to get this done.
Billboard
Ban
On April 12, 2000 the Dallas City Council, under the leadership of Council
Member Sandy Greyson, unanimously passed an ordinance banning construction
of new billboards in the City of Dallas on existing and future roadways.
The Pearlstone Building
A supergraphic sign was approved in early 2003 by the Dallas City Council.
At the request of a private developer, the Council agreed to allow oversized
advertising on three large facades of the vacant grain silo overlooking I-30
in Deep Ellum. At that time, the Executive Director of Scenic Dallas, acting
as a member of the Dallas City Planning and Zoning Commission, strongly opposed
approval, citing a conflict with the Highway Beautification Act (HBA).
Scenic Dallas is pleased to report a reversal of that approval. On March
25, 2003, TxDOT notified the City Attorney’s Office and the council
of its decision that the previous approval is in violation of the Highway
Beautification Act (HBA). This is a significant victory for Scenic Dallas.
We are pleased that our efforts were successful. One victory at a time…they
add up!
The purpose of the HBA is to control outdoor advertising displays and to
promote the safety and recreational value of public travel, and to preserve
natural beauty. To comply, states must control signs located within 660 feet
of or visible from, an interstate right of way. They must comply with size,
lighting and spacing criteria of the federal-state HBA agreement.
Green Ribbon Project
Through Scenic Texas, Scenic Dallas supports continued state funding of the
Green Ribbon project. We encourage TxDOT to use low maintenance, non-invasive
species of trees, shrubs, flowers, or other plantings that are in context
with the region’s climate, natural landscape, and geography. More than
110,000 trees and shrubs have been planted on our state’s highways
since the implementation of the project in 2000. Green Ribbon funds totalling
more than $1.8 million were allocated to Dallas in 2000, and again in 2002.
You can see some examples of the results at:
— IH30 at Dalrock ($150,000) complete.
— IH635 at Lake June ($117,000) under construction, planting slated for
2004.
— SH121 west of IH35E ($54,000) under construction, planting slated for
2005.
— IH45 in Ferris ($225,000) taking bids.
Go to What’s
New at the Scenic Texas website for
more information.
Speak
Out!
Scenic Dallas is working on a list of issues that will benefit our city’s
scenic value. Check back soon to see how you can help by contacting your
local/state/federal representatives or other entities.
Contact your...
Dallas
City Council Representative
Local
Elected Officials
State and Federal Elected
Officials