Pomona : Billboard Plan to Planners

The City Council voted 4 to 3 this week to give the Planning Commission a chance to review plans for construction of 10 billboards along freeways before signing a development agreement with the billboard company.

The council has tentatively approved an agreement allowing Regency Outdoor Advertising Inc. to put up the large freeway-visible signs in exchange for tearing down 30 billboards elsewhere in Pomona.

The council had a hearing this week on conditional-use permits for the planned billboards but sent the matter to the Planning Commission after Commissioner Steve Lustro complained that the panel had been bypassed.

Lustro said Regency appeared to be getting special treatment. “I feel insulted that this is before the City Council instead of the Planning Commission,” he said.

Councilman Ken West, who supports the billboard agreement, joined with three billboard opponents on the council to send the conditional-use permit issue to the commission. West said the normal process should not be circumvented.

Meanwhile, the council tentatively approved a separate ordinance that would give the city authority to order that billboards not covered by a development agreement be torn down by the end of 1994.

The ordinance replaces a city billboard ban that has been in litigation for 30 years and that City Atty. Arnold Glasman said is probably unconstitutional. City officials said they expect billboard interests to challenge the new ordinance in court too.