HUNTINGTON BEACH : City Gives Green Flag to Car Dealers

The City Council figuratively has done some flag-waving for its automobile dealers. By unanimous vote on Monday night, the council agreed to change its sign ordinance to allow the car dealers to use flags, pennants, balloons and “large inflatable objects” to advertise along Beach Boulevard.

The recession-struck dealers told the council that such outdoor displays are necessary because a recent study found 70% of car buyers are attracted on impulse.

These impulse buyers are often motorists driving by who “happen to see something on the lot, something that caught their eye,” said Rick Adams, president of the Huntington Beach Auto Dealers Assn., which represents 13 new-car dealers with businesses facing Beach Boulevard.

City staff told the council that the car dealers are vital to the city’s economy. “Each year the city receives approximately $2.7 million of sales-tax revenue from the dealers,” a staff report said.

The city’s sign ordinance, until amended Monday night, did not allow use of outdoor balloons for advertising. The council’s vote now allows the car dealers to fly non-metallic balloons on all weekends.

The auto dealers also will be permitted to use large inflatables, such as oversize replicas of cars and trucks, as outdoor advertising. Restrictions on use of flags and pennants will be eased under the changes voted in Monday night.

“I think it’s time we took a realistic look,” Councilman Don MacAllister said. “Car dealers all over the Southland use these displays.”