A large electronic billboard could soon be headed to the 22 freeway in Garden Grove.
Garden Grove City Council members will hold a public hearing Tuesday on whether to allow the company Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. to build the two-sided, 74-foot electronic billboard.
Although the city does not allow new billboards, companies can apply to relocate their existing ones elsewhere in the city. Clear Channel currently owns 12 billboards in Garden Grove.
City code does not allow companies to convert their billboards into electronic ones. The code amendment under consideration Tuesday would:
- Require billboard owners to remove two regular billboards for every electronic billboard they construct.
- Require owners to pay for for the cost of any mitigation, construction, application fees, etc.
- Require owners to donate up to 10 percent of their advertising time to community events.
Clear Channel is asking to remove three regular billboards in exchange for building one electronic billboard. The company would pay a $10,000 fee and an annual mitigation fee amounting to roughly $1.57 million over the 30-year term of the deal.
The company’s subsidiary, Clear Channel Worldwide, is a frequent contributor to political campaigns. In Garden Grove, the company contributed $1,000 to mayor Bruce Broadwater in April, $1,000 to councilwoman Dina Nguyen in 2013 and $1,000 to councilman Steve Jones in October 2012.
The city is also considering an ordinance to allow electronic reader boards and an ordinance banning the use of e-cigarettes where tobacco also is not allowed.
Tuesday’s public meeting begins at 6:30 pm. Read the full agenda here.
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