HUNTINGTON BEACH : Proposed Electronic Billboard Debated

A Huntington Harbour civic activist is leading the opposition to a city proposal to build an 85-foot-tall electronic sign near the interchange of Beach Boulevard and the San Diego Freeway.

“It will be the biggest eyesore--a monster, a beacon seen for miles and miles,” said Barbara Conklin. “Property values would literally plummet.”

At issue is a sign that car dealers and the city’s Redevelopment Agency want to erect. They have said that the sign would help automobile dealers attract business while providing the city with a landmark by the freeway.

The sign would have different messages that could be read by motorists driving along the freeway through Huntington Beach. The main purpose of the messages would be to attract people to car dealerships on Beach Boulevard. However, the sign would also flash messages about city activities such as surf contests, city officials said.

The City Council will consider the sign ordinance Aug. 3. If the law is approved, supporters plan to have the electronic sign constructed by the end of this year. Conklin and other opponents hope to persuade the City Council to reject the ordinance.

Conklin, who has been active in Huntington Harbour preservation movements, charged that the sign would be an “ugly, towering monstrosity that will mar our beautiful city.”

Conklin also asserted that the city would be setting a bad precedent by allowing the sign to be erected. The Planning Commission, she said, would face growing pressure to grant more freeway-facing signs. Eventually, she predicted, Huntington Beach would “look like a cheap and sleazy Las Vegas.”

However, Tom Andrusky, a member of the city’s Economic Development Department, said in a recent interview that the sign could be an asset for the city. He said it would be built in a totally commercial area near the Huntington Center mall.

“The Redevelopment Agency and the (car) dealers want something that would be an aesthetic, positive addition to the community,” Andrusky said.