Billboard limitation bill draws industry protests

Tuesday, June 17, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Area gaming establishments and advertising firms object to a proposed Las Vegas city ordinance that would ban billboard embellishments.

As a result, a City Council Recommending Committee on Monday established a subcommittee of gaming representatives, billboard industry officials and a private citizen to hammer out a compromise.

The bill, as it currently reads, would eliminate an exemption to the 672-square-foot limit of a billboard that allows "an embellishment (not) to exceed 5 feet above the rectangular surface of the sign." The current ordinance also allows up to 128 square feet of additional space for an "off premise sign" (legal term for a billboard).

Should the ordinance pass as it currently reads, signs within the city limits would be limited to the standard shape and size. This, area businesses claim, will be costly to comply with and restrict creativity.

"We have 35 billboards and it will cost us $400,000 (to bring them in compliance with the proposed ordinance)," said Don Snyder, president of Boyd Gaming Group, which operates Sam's Town, the Stardust and other resorts.

He noted that the ordinance as it currently stands allows billboards to be "more aesthetically pleasing, more creative and more exciting."

Ed Fasulo, general manager of the Fiesta hotel-casino, said his resort owns 26 embellished billboards and it will cost $100,000 to modify them.

"We are sensitive of the city's efforts to protect against outlandish billboards," he said. "At the same time, we should allow for creative license."

Don Krueger of Connell Outdoor Advertising said this primarily is an advertising issue because no concerns have been raised about the public health and safety regarding embellished billboards.

Speaking in favor of the bill, area resident Matt Kennedy said "this is a quality of life issue. There are families living here. This is not just a tourist destination. Things should be toned down on the outer edges (rural parts of the city)."

Snyder, Krueger and Kennedy all accepted appointments to the subcommittee, and plan to meet one time before the next recommending committee scheduled for June 30 at City Hall.

Councilman Gary Reese, a member of the recommending committee, said the issue is "important enough" to be brought before the full council for discussion, but he did not make a "do pass" or "do not pass" recommendation.

Neither did Councilman Arnie Adamsen, who said there is plenty of time to discuss the measure as it has not yet been published -- an action that requires a bill to be passed within a month or die in committee.

"My constituents tell me there are too many billboards out there," Adamsen said, noting that a great many have embellishments. "They consider billboards in certain locations to be visual blight."

Adamsen noted that a compromise to reduce immediate modification costs could be to allow existing embellished signs to run the lengths of their full contracts -- not to exceed five years -- and then have the embellishments removed.