Billboards On I-45

[musicman]

OK, so there's no zoning, but there certainly are neighborhood deed restrictions.

Granted, it takes a lot of community involvement (and apparently a decent lawyer can get around them - see the "condo loophole" in the Heights) to get them on the books and enforced, but you can't say neighborhoods aren't trying.

the "condo loophole" is not about deed restrictions but a poorly drafted city ordinance developed by Annise Parker.

[northbeaumont]

it's not only billboards but the signage for all the businesses along there. a restrictive sign ordinance would have been nice.

Someone wrote a letter in today's Houston Chronicle complaining about the billboards on IH-45. That person said that the interstates in Phoenix, Arizona have no billboards in the city limits.

[Urbannomad]

In my opinion all of these things, billboards, no zoning, transportation, and general trashiness of Houston are all part of it's, thankfully ending, adolescence as a city. Despite it's size only within the past 5 to 10 years has Houston really started to acknowledge it's place as a major american "city" and really begun to embrace the things that come along with that. The whole "it's all about me and screw everyone else attitude" is definitely dieing as people become more concerned with the notion of community. I left for 9 years, just returning this year, and I can see major changes. Houston is very quickly attracting the upper middle income earners and as this continues you will start to see more regulations regarding quality of life issues without a doubt. Bottom line is most of the people who are becoming the "new" Houston don't care for the way things have operated in the city. Consider their income level, the fact that many are from or have lived in other large cities, and the biggest thing... that most were raised in clean, planned suburban communities and you will see that in the future those values will only become more strongly reflected in the regualtions and ordinances of the city. The majority of the new developments are in transitional neighborhoods (regarding both crime and land use), and you stick someone who grew up in the "pretty" burbs and paid $500K for their new house in that environment and see how quickly things change and the prospect of zoning, billboards, you name it (lifestyle issues) suddenly gets a whole lot of political weight and money behind it.

These things won't make Houston unaffordable as some say, because that is already happening despite them not being in place... rather they will only reflect the new demographic of the city and the fact that most semi-decent neighborhoods are already unaffordable for many lower income earners. That's just being realistic.

[Vertigo58]

What really cracks me up is how certain advertising is done in certain parts of the city. Everyday I pass by 59 headed towards the Galleria area and there are 2 billboards side by side next to 12 Oaks MedicaL Center. One is advertising Rolex watches the other Cartier. It would be hilarious to see this same advertising being done in less afluent areas of town.

Head farther to 45 south and there are several billboards advertising topless entertainment.

Go to less afluent areas and most are about liquor, vasectomies, and lawyers for DUI, etc. Hilarious!

[northbeaumont]

What really cracks me up is how certain advertising is done in certain parts of the city. Everyday I pass by 59 headed towards the Galleria area and there are 2 billboards side by side next to 12 Oaks MedicaL Center. One is advertising Rolex watches the other Cartier. It would be hilarious to see this same advertising being done in less afluent areas of town.

Head farther to 45 south and there are several billboards advertising topless entertainment.

Go to less afluent areas and most are about liquor, vasectomies, and lawyers for DUI, etc. Hilarious!

Less affluent areas? Those kind of signs are everywhere. People everywhere will get drunk, some will also drive and will then need a lawyer, then they'll have unprotected sex and they'll need a lawyer to fight a patrimony lawsuit. Then they'll wish they had gotten a vasectomy. Are billboards advertising those products and services really needed? People will always do those things with or without any signs to "prod" or "coax" them.

[The Great Hizzy!]

Zoning is often mentioned in these types of discussions but there are streetscapes in Los Angeles and Phoenix (cities with zoning) that are plagued by billboards and overbearing store marquees as well. What seems to make it more noticeable and, apparently, egregious in Houston is that the billboards are more prominent along feeder roads that parallel freeways (where visitors from airports are more likely to notice). But even that is a case-by-case situation, as there are quite a few segments of various freeways in Houston that are relatively billboard free.

Miami-Dade and Broward counties also have some rather inundated streetscapes when it comes to billboards and store marquees, FTR. Again, zoning is in place in most municipalities in those counties.

All that said, I agree that you're not likely to see the billboards go anywhere anytime soon unless you have a Katy Freeway style expansion that calls for the purchase of several properties fronting the freeway which may have these signs and billboards sticking obnoxiously into the air.

[jfre81]

And even if there's zoning, federal regulations (which supercede local zoning ordinances no matter which city it is) will keep those billboards on the feeder roads until some scenario like The Great Hizzy pointed out.

I really do not see any benefit to introducing zoning at this point. Basically whatever is sitting where it is will be zoned accordingly. It might affect future development, but it will remain haphazard and will actually make it harder to create centralized districts unless you start uprooting businesses wherever they decide to make residential areas or residents in wherever is deemed to be commercial areas. And if the latter has to happen, it won't happen.

You can have some more limited ordinances i.e. limiting apartment complexes within a certain distance of each other or laws that go after owners of buildings like Central Square or the Days Inn on Calhoun/St. Joseph while keeping the general property rights intact. It's an interesting social experiment if nothing else, and the most quantifiable unique aspect of Houston, for better or worse. If I didn't like it I'd leave.

[northbeaumont]

Can anything be done about the billboards on 45? Some cities don't allow them at all... why do we? Hopefully something can be done to rid this city of that.

BR

A story in today's Chronicle is not about billboards on IH-45 but on state highway 6. On page A4 it shows a photos of a billboard that reads: "Nooky's Erotic Bakery. Naughty Cakes For Nice Occasions." Have any of you ever bought a cake or a pie from there? Or some Danish pastries?

There's also an article about Houston's traffic getting worse. How come that doesn't surprise me?

[musicman]

Judge shoots down city law that curbs billboards

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the city from enforcing its 27-year-old sign code, ruling the regulations could violate free speech protections in the First Amendment.

The ruling results from a recent challenge to the city's aggressive plan to crack down on non-permitted billboards bordering Houston, but the scope of U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon's opinion surprised city officials.

Fearing they will lose the ability to regulate all signs citywide, not just billboards they have targeted in a five-mile ring around Houston, officials said they are considering an appeal.

full article

[Vertigo58]

Maybe we cans start a My Favorite Billboards topic. At 1st I thought they were annoying but the

Chick Fil a cows crack me up.

[KimberlySayWhat]

How about we start tearing down the billboards ourselves? Kind of like when we start the ground-breakings ourselves when we feel like things aren't not coming along as quickly as we'd like.

I'm not good with tools. How would we go about it?

[Vertigo58]

How about we start tearing down the billboards ourselves? Kind of like when we start the ground-breakings ourselves when we feel like things aren't not coming along as quickly as we'd like.

I'm not good with tools. How would we go about it?

Wow that sounds like fun!

I would use a flame thrower or even better a rocket launcher! I could just see those cows going in all directions shrouded in fire. We could film and You Tube the whole assualt. Your one smart cookie Kim! >

[Guest Marty]

When a powerful category 5 Hurricane makes land fall at Galveston, all the billboards will fall down, But I would doubt anybody would care after that.

[musicman]

now that the legal system shot down the city's billboard ordinance, it will be interesting to see if some additional signs are erected.

[Guest Marty]

I would think so, If I owned a piece of land next to the freeway, I would have a billboard on it until it gets developed, I am talking outside the Beltway though.

[musicman]

I would think so, If I owned a piece of land next to the freeway, I would have a billboard on it until it gets developed, I am talking outside the Beltway though.

well the ordinance is only city of houston so inside the beltway may be affected.

[JLWM8609]

Have any of y'all seen that billboard on the North Fwy. while driving southbound between Airline and Tidwell? It's where that old Peterbilt (I think it was Peterbilt) dealer used to be. I think it's a used car lot now, anyway, the billboard has about 4-6 bikini clad women on it and advertises the car lot. I immediately thought about this thread when I saw it.

[Guest Marty]

Have any of y'all seen that billboard on the North Fwy. while driving southbound between Airline and Tidwell? It's where that old Peterbilt (I think it was Peterbilt) dealer used to be. I think it's a used car lot now, anyway, the billboard has about 4-6 bikini clad women on it and advertises the car lot. I immediately thought about this thread when I saw it.

When I see this thread it reminds me of the Benihana billboard just south of The Woodlands with the big knife at the walk way level, the workers has to be careful around that one.

[Vertigo58]

Have any of y'all seen that billboard on the North Fwy. while driving southbound between Airline and Tidwell? It's where that old Peterbilt (I think it was Peterbilt) dealer used to be. I think it's a used car lot now, anyway, the billboard has about 4-6 bikini clad women on it and advertises the car lot. I immediately thought about this thread when I saw it.

and that reminds me of the stripper night clubs over by League City on 45 South. There is a huge Lakewood wannabe church there and just above it about 1/2 block away is (I think) Lipstick Cabaret billboard with a woman licking a lollipop almost in the buff. See the irony?

As you drive in from like Galveston you clearly see the voluptuous vixen above the church tempting you to come to mass.

Amen!

[JLWM8609]

and that reminds me of the stripper night clubs over by League City on 45 South. There is a huge Lakewood wannabe church there and just above it about 1/2 block away is (I think) Lipstick Cabaret billboard with a woman licking a lollipop almost in the buff. See the irony?

As you drive in from like Galveston you clearly see the voluptuous vixen above the church tempting you to come to mass.

Amen!

One of the ones I like is on I-45 between Houston and Galveston. There's a billboard advertising "Heartbreaker's" strip club, and right near it is a billboard for a church that says "Jesus heals the heart broken". I thought that was quite good.

[jfre81]

One of the ones I like is on I-45 between Houston and Galveston. There's a billboard advertising "Heartbreaker's" strip club, and right near it is a billboard for a church that says "Jesus heals the heart broken". I thought that was quite good.

That would be in Dickinson, and that's been my all-time favorite billboard for years. I don't think it has the *Jesus Heals The Broken-Hearted* slogan anymore but I'm pretty sure there is still a billboard for Abundant Life (a Lakewood-ish megachurch in La Marque).

[RedScare]

They may have changed after realizing that, far from saving souls, the pervs merely used the billboard as a beacon to locate the strip club. I am not ashamed to admit that I used the billboard for that nefarious purpose once.

[JLWM8609]

They may have changed after realizing that, far from saving souls, the pervs merely used the billboard as a beacon to locate the strip club. I am not ashamed to admit that I used the billboard for that nefarious purpose once.

You old HEATHEN!

[Vertigo58]

One of the ones I like is on I-45 between Houston and Galveston. There's a billboard advertising "Heartbreaker's" strip club, and right near it is a billboard for a church that says "Jesus heals the heart broken". I thought that was quite good.

That's what I'm talking about people. I can just see aunt Esther hitting each patron with her purse as they enter.

[kennyc05]

Can anyone explain how the new signs will look along the airport scenic corridors? 🤔

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.houstontx.gov/council/committees/qol/20200722/Sign-Code-Airport-Corridor.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjMy4KFvYPsAhWJB80KHS04AYEQFjABegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw1vj6-gFecHfb58yWBGXOSp&cshid=1601008792586

[Specwriter]

I'm all for letting sign owners convert to LED without losing grandfathering status. It will save energy and brightness can be controlled.

 

There does need to be something in the ordinance about brightness too. There is a sign in Kemah (or used to be) at SH 146 and FM 2094 that would cause momentary blindness. In fact, it was so bright (lots of white color too) that it was difficult to read.

 

As for "signs" with no sign - empty frames that are rusting away - I say declare them a hazard (they could fall over), demolish them, and send the owner the bill. He hablado. 🙂

[Houston19514]

On 9/25/2020 at 12:16 AM, kennyc05 said:

Can anyone explain how the new signs will look along the airport scenic corridors? 🤔

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.houstontx.gov/council/committees/qol/20200722/Sign-Code-Airport-Corridor.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjMy4KFvYPsAhWJB80KHS04AYEQFjABegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw1vj6-gFecHfb58yWBGXOSp&cshid=1601008792586

 

This impacts the height and size of "on-premise" signage. 

 

Along freeways in the Airport corridors, the height would be limited to 31 feet (rather than the currently-allowed 42.5 feet).  The size would be limited to:

 

150 square feet for a single business

300 square feet for multi-tenant, 2 or 3 businesses

450 square feet for multi-tenant, 4 or more businesses,

 

(rather than the currently-allowed, 225, 450, and 600 square feet).

 

Major Thoroughfares in the Airport Corridors would be limited as follows:

 

Singe Business:  14 ft high and 100 square feet (vs current 20 feet high and 150 square feet)

Multi-Tenant, 2 or 3 businesses:  19 feet high and 200 square feet (vs current 26 feet high and 300 square feet)

Multi-Tenant, 43 or more businesses:  24 feet high and 300 square feet (vs current 31 feet high and 450 square feet)

Flags are limited to 20 feet high vs current 35 feet.