Maitland may get digital billboards

The forward march of time and technology has the city of Maitland considering changing its ordinance to allow digitized billboard-like signs off of Interstate 4. But that depends on the definition of “billboard,” according to city officials.

With a citywide ban on billboards in the books since 1938, Community Development Director Dick Wells says Maitland is now considering adding an ordinance to its code to allow “digital outdoor advertising signs,” while simultaneously keeping the overall ban in place.

As the proposed ordinance reads now, the digital signs would have to be a minimum of 45-feet-wide by 14-feet-tall or a maximum of 48-feet-wide by 15-feet-tall, the standard size of an average billboard.

“From the general nature and size of the sign there’s not much difference,” Wells said. “But it’s in the digital nature of the sign and its capabilities that’s the difference.”

The Maitland Planning and Zoning Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in the City Council Chambers to discuss details of the digital outdoor advertising sign proposal. Visit itsmymaitland.com for more information.

In October of last year the Maitland City Council directed city staff to look into how it could responsibly consider allowing billboard-like signs within city limits, leading to the drafted proposal facing the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday, March 21. As it stands with language drafted by the city attorney, the ordinance would allow the digital boards to only be constructed in areas within 100 feet of Interstate 4 on land designated non-residential for future land-use, Wells said.

“It reserves the right for prohibiting billboards while allowing digital outdoor advertising signs,” Wells said. The difference between the two, he said, is in these signs being digitized rather than paper on wood or rotating panels as in times past.

In October discussions, members of the City Council spoke favorably of looking into the idea, proposing the city could use up to two of the eight ads that would flicker up on the board every minute to announce city events and business. Wells said that’s a deal that can’t be worked out until after the ordinance is passed, saying the city can’t be incentivized to pass codes with receiving of something of value.

Dale McDonald, chairman of Maitland’s Planning and Zoning Commission, said the commission will look to weigh the pros and cons of opening the city to these signs along with public opinion at its Thursday meeting.

“This is a whole new animal for us … The technology has gotten past us,” McDonald said.

But, he said, there’s a difference between wanting to catch up with technology and what’s best for Maitland. To weigh those factors, McDonald said, and in order to form a recommendation, P&Z will have to find out where exactly signs like this could be placed, and how they’ll impact the surrounding roads and residences.

“Philosophically, we’ve been prohibiting them for a long time, and people have gotten used to us prohibiting them and change is hard,” he said.

Discussions between the Development Review Committee, P&Z and city staff will continue until recommendations can be made and the item can return back to Council.

“The devil is in the details,” McDonald said. “… And depending on how you describe it, you can make an apple sound like an orange.”