Emma sent out an email to fellow ArrowCreek Art Guild members to help defeat Summit Shopping Center from installing a huge 71′ (part digital) sign. Several members joined in the effort led by Scenic Nevada to write letters, write emails and attend the Reno city council meeting.

The sign is not allowed. Yea!

Here are some articles about it.

Reno City Council Denies Giant Sign

What: Reno City Council Public Hearing
When: Wednesday, February 11, starting at 6 p.m.
Where: Council Chambers, City Hall, 1 East First St.The date for a public hearing on the big, bright digital sign proposed for Summit Sierra shopping center in south Reno was changed to February 11. Mall officials asked for the two week delay because of a scheduling conflict. The city and Scenic Nevada agreed to bump the public hearing, originally scheduled January 28, to the next city council meeting.
 
At the appeal hearing in February Scenic Nevada will ask the city council to overturn the decision made last month by the city’s planning commission in a 3-2 vote, narrowly approving the mall’s sign.
 
Join us at the hearing to defeat this request AND click here now to send a letter to the city council. Showing up for the hearing will make an impression on the new city council and your letters are extremely important to demonstrate your opposition.  The city council’s decision is final. 

Needless Visual Intrusion

If approved, the digital sign will flash rotating advertising specials for various tenants in the mall towards drivers traveling either direction on Interstate 580. The ads would flip every 10 seconds until 11 p.m. and every 30 minutes from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The digital portion of the 71-foot-tall sign will function and be regulated as a digital billboard, but both city staff and Summit insist it isn’t one because it would advertise on-premise mall tenants only. Digital billboard or not, it won’t fit with the natural open spaces, mountain views and dark skies prized by area residents and visitors.

Twisted Logic

Initially staff gave a thumbs down on the digital sign (read the first report), but later reversed its recommendation. Summit officials said up to five digital billboards are allowed on the 56 acre site, but they will agree to prohibit them, if Reno grants a permit for the digital sign along the freeway. (Read the follow up report).

Scenic Nevada has consistently objected to the twisted logic used by city staff and Summit to justify allowing the digital sign – accept one incompatible sign to prevent more incompatible signs.
 
Also, it’s ironic that halting the spread of digital billboards in south Reno is driving staff’s approval. New billboard construction was prohibited by the voters in 2000, but the city has not enforced the ban. Scenic Nevada sued when the city passed a new law allowing electronic billboards in violation of the people’s vote.  A moratorium on these signs is in place until our lawsuit against the city is resolved.

Make A Difference

Come to city hall February 11 to oppose the sign. And click here to send a letter now. Your opinion matters and can make a difference.  Free parking is available in the Cal-Neva parking garage next door to city hall and near the corner of First and Center streets downtown. For more information contact Scenic Nevada at info@scenicnevada.org or visit our website at  scenicnevada.org .