Elk Grove City Council To Consider Stripping Billboard Ordinance

This proposed gas station and fast food outlet on Sheldon Road is seeking an offsite billboard on Highway 99.

The Elk Grove City Council will consider stripping restrictions on its highway and offsite sign ordinance at tomorrow night's regular meeting.

Passed in 2006, the current sign ordinance prohibits billboards along Highway 99 and Interstate 5 for businesses that are not directly adjacent to those thoroughfares. The city council will consider whether or not to strip that ordinance and let offsite businesses to place billboards there.

The matter is being brought to the council at the request of developer Gil Moore who is developing a gas station and fast food outlet on the corner of Sheldon Road and East Stockton Blvd. The proposed facility is not directly adjacent to the freeway and consequently cannot erect an offsite billboard.

Moore's proposed development includes an AM/PM gas station mini mart and a McDonald's restaurant. At a public meeting held last month representatives from McDonald's said the offsite sign is crucial to the profitability of the proposed store.

Since the proposed offsite billboard came to the public's attention in late March, it has become a lightning rod of controversy. As a result of the controversy the city held a public workshop last month that itself became a source of controversy as many in attendance complained the workshop and the questions asked during the workshop were skewed to favor Moore's request.

According to a public information request, $5,600 has been allocated for the city's planning department contractor, Pacific Municipal Consultants (PMC), to process Moore's request. According to city manager Laura Gill, the PMC staff formulated the questions for the poll and the planning director Taro Echiburu approved the questions.

Tomorrow's meeting will start at 6 p.m.