Weymouth council sheds light on next move regarding digital billboards – Wicked Local Weymouth

After town council voted to take no action on a proposed zoning amendment that would have eliminated a billboard overlay district near Route 3 and at the end of Finnell Drive, councilors are looking at other options to address concerns raised by residents in the area.

This summer, a digital billboard at 611 Pleasant St. spawned numerous complaints about nighttime light pollution from many nearby residents.

Cove Outdoor turned the billboard off in August as a result of those complaints, but the company turned the billboard back on Nov. 19 and cited a failure by town officials and residents to reach a consensus for an alternative plan.

The councils decision to take no action followed a Nov. 19 vote by the planning board to not support the proposed amendment submitted by Belmont Street resident Robert Delaney. Delaney could not be reached for comment about the councils decision.

The board agreed with the residents along the Route 3 corridor that they experienced unintended consequences because of the placement of an electronic billboard, said District 3 Councilor Kenneth DiFazio, chairman of the council's ordinance committee, during a Dec. 2 council meeting. "However, the planning board concluded that at this time, the removal of the billboard overlay district would limit options to remedy the situation and be a hindrance to any compromise."

Town council, however, has agreed to ask Attorney General Maura Healey to review the legalities of the permits issued to Cove Outdoor by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the towns zoning board of appeals.

According to the town councils ordinance committee, the controversial digital signs at 611 Pleasant St. and a proposed digital sign at 613 Pleasant St. do not appear to meet the requirements for receiving special permits from the town or a permit from MassDOT.

DiFazio said the permits were given to Cove Outdoor LLC "without the necessary scrutiny to protect nearby residents from the adverse effects of electronic billboards.

Its now known that the potential impact of the electronic billboards is spread much further than the 500-foot radius, DiFazio said during the Dec. 2 council meeting.

District 5 Councilor Ed Harrington and Councilor-at-large Michael Molisse agreed send a letter to Healeys office expressing concerns about the legalities of the permits awarded to Cove.

They also agreed to ask Healey about whether the community can hire a private legal firm to represent Weymouths interests.

We need to be sure it is legally possible to have an outside attorney, said Michael Smart, president of the town council.

Harrington said the permit process for the billboards was flawed from the beginning, and it needs to be reviewed by Healey or a private legal firm.

We are trying to fix this internally as opposed to having a state agency or another board involved, he said.

Molisse said the council needs to take a stand for the people of Weymouth by opposing the permitted billboards with outside legal counsel if necessary.

We have people on Century Road and on other streets who will be suffering if this keeps going on, he said.

Councilor-at-large Chris Heffernan said the council cant leave any rock unturned and must oppose the billboards.

We need to look at all of our options and include as many options as possible, he said. If that includes outside counsel, Im open to that.

The overlay district was created by Mayor Robert Hedlund and the town council in April 2018 to remove unwanted billboards along Route 3A. The creation of the overlay district was also done to diminish the negative impact of a digital advertisement on Route 18.

The overlay district also includes a portion of undeveloped land at the end of Finnell Drive.

Cove Outdoor has an agreement with Weymouth to install electronic billboards in the overlay district along Route 3. The deal requires Cove to remove nine static or non-electronic advertisement boards on Route 3A and to diminish the impact of a digital sign on Route 18.

Cove owns a location at 613 Pleasant St, and the firm recently received a permit from MassDOT to construct an electronic billboard at the site.

Coves agreement with Weymouth would eventually provide the town with advertisement fees, which are equal to receiving $10 million from commercial development, according to Christine Howe, a town program manager.

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Weymouth council sheds light on next move regarding digital billboards - Wicked Local Weymouth