The Marietta Daily Journal – Discussion of the fate of billboards on I 75 continues

Wednesday night, four billboard companies pleaded with the City Council’s judicial legislative committee to save their billboards from demolition.

The Georgia Department of Transportation said it will demolish billboards in the way of two new lanes it plans to construct on the west side of Interstate 75 for the managed lanes project sponsored by Governor Nathan Deal. The project is set to break ground in September in Cobb County, said Natalie Dale, the media and government liaison for the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Representatives from the advertising companies appeared before the council for a second time to ask the council to change the city’s sign ordinance, but a decision was pushed back another month. For a second time, Councilman Philip Goldstein, who chairs the committee, turned down serious discussion of the companies’ proposal Wednesday night and sent them away to gather more information about how the 12 signs would be affected.

“(The billboard companies) are seeking to revise the ordinance to be able to make some changes (to the billboards) without having to go through a variance request (with the city),” said Rusty Roth, the city’s zoning manager.

Demolishing the billboards would create an extra cost for the Georgia Department of Transportation and the companies, Roth said. So the companies offered to funnel the money they would save back into the city if it passes their proposal.

via The Marietta Daily Journal – Discussion of the fate of billboards on I 75 continues.