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Committee to vote on amended digital billboard plan

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A controversial proposal to lift Marion County’s ban on digital billboards could move forward Monday night. But moving forward, could actually mean starting from scratch.

The Metropolitan Economic Development Committee is expected to pass the digital billboard proposal Monday night. Last week, Councilor Jeff Miller told 24-Hour News 8 a compromise had been reached that would not lift the ban on digital billboards, but instead ask the Metropolitan Development Commission and Department of Metropolitan Development to consider the issue.

“To me this is a win for residents everywhere. Because they don’t have the wrong people trying to send this forward, but they do have us as a council saying we think this is important for the city to take this up holistically, discuss it, look at it and make a decision,” said Miller.

Those two groups would have public hearings, discussions with the billboard companies and look at the zoning issues in the county – something Miller says the council didn’t know enough about.

Advocates of the digital billboards say they could be good for Amber Alerts and warning drivers of major accidents and construction. But opponents were worried the billboards could be distracting or decrease property values. Miller said it will be up to the development groups to design a plan, addressing all those concerns.

“It was so difficult for the council, who isn’t zoning experts certainly aren’t billboard experts to try to put together a draft to say ‘Hey, start with this.’ Instead we’re saying ‘We as a council, DMD, MDC would you please take up this issue? But we’re not giving you anything to start with,’” said Miller.

The DMD and MDC are already working on Indy Rezone, which updates all of the zoning codes in the city. Miller said that’s the reason the billboard issue was pushed to the council to begin with, instead of the development groups. Miller doesn’t expect the DMD or MDC to even consider digital billboards until Indy Rezone is complete. He said that could take anywhere from a few months to the end of the year.

The digital billboard issue will eventually come before the council again. After the development groups pass a plan, it will go before council for final approval.

“I’m pretty certain if it goes through that vetting first, we’re going to be OK with what comes to us. We know there’s been public testimony, we know that all the stakeholders have been invited and involved from day one. That’s the way this is supposed to be done. That’s the way good legislation gets through. We really need everyone to be represented and feel like they were a part of it. It’s not like that can’t be done with the council, but when the council is asked to be an expert in something they’re not experts in it’s just tough,” said Miller.

The Metropolitan Economic Development Committee will meet Monday evening at 5:30 p.m.