Coquitlam council to vote on allowing digital billboards along Highway 1

Coquitlam city council will look at the possibility of allowing electronic billboards in the city at its next meeting.

A staff report to council offers a potential draft bylaw that would permit third-party electronic billboards along Highway 1, which are currently banned under city bylaws.

Coquitlam council looked at and rejected electronic billboards back in 2013, but began reviewing the idea again last summer after an influx of requests from advertisers.

Under the proposed bylaw, applicants would be required to pay a $1,600 application fee, a $500-$1,000 building permit fee, a $3,150 development permit fee and an annual $160 business license fee.

Billboards would be restricted to static (non-video) messages that would display for minimum 10-second intervals.

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The report says for such billboards located on city-owned land, the city could require that applicants provide some community benefits, such as dedicated screen time for city messages or annual financial contributions of up to $85,000.

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However, it says billboards located on private land would not be able to demand such benefits.

The signs would not be permitted within 150 metres of any residential property and would be limited to the Highway 1 corridor, however the report says variances could possibly be approved for areas such as Lougheed Highway.

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According to the report, two rounds of public consultation were conducted on the proposal, one by billboard company Van Horne Outdoor and one by the city.

In Van Horne’s survey, 12 per cent of people felt the electronic billboards were a bad idea, 32 per cent thought they were a good idea and 40 per cent said it depended on the details.

About three quarters of respondents said they’d be more likely to support the idea if the boards were used for city messaging or Amber Alerts.

But the city’s own survey found strong opposition to electronic billboards, with about 73 per cent of residents opposed to allowing them versus just 14 per cent in favour.

Public benefits such as city messaging and Amber Alerts were again identified as the biggest potential benefits, while visual clutter was the biggest concern.

Residents said if the billboards were allowed, along Highway 1 was the preferred location.

Council will debate the proposal on Monday.