The final vote will occur Thursday, but it is almost certain that it will pass. The package of two bills, sponsored by Councilman Bobby Henon, rezone the land so that the billboard can be placed there, and then create exceptions to regulations regarding proximity to other billboards (there’s one across the street).
While it is a relatively small part of the park (see below) and one that is hardly used, some residents are pretty upset over the proposed bill. Michael McGettigan, who owns Trophy Bikes, said that “billboards are the walking dead,” meaning that they are bordering on irrelevancy since most people get their media from mobile devices and computers.
The billboard will also be distracting, figures McGettigan. He flashed a bike light in the eyes of the Council to demonstrate his point during last week’s hearing.
Read more at http://www.phillymag.com/citified/2016/06/14/pennypack-park-billboard/#sBTzlexK0y3R3EFX.99
AdSmart Outdoor Advertising Inc. in recent days removed a large vinyl-wrapped billboard from the upper wall of a building on Old Railroad Avenue, leaving only a wooden frame.
The 8 ½-by-34-foot sign has been the subject of a dispute between the advertising company and Lower Merion Township since 2009.
On Feb. 1, a Montgomery County Common Pleas Court judge affirmed a 2010 Lower Merion Zoning Hearing Board decision that the off-premises advertising is prohibited under the property’s C-2 commercial zoning.
The township then issued an enforcement letter, ordering AdSmart to remove or cover the sign or face fines.