Decided to start another post on the subject because I don't think an important point has been discussed. That point is that currently Burlingame not only has an ordinance against electronic signs, more importantly, it has an ordinance against "Off Premise" signage. What that means in layman's terms is that if you have a business in one part of town, you can not advertise that business with a sign in another part of town. The intent of the ordinance is to deter the proliferation of advertisments springing up on every corner.

That said, someone mentioned the Mike Harvey Acura sign in a previous comment on the other post on this subject, and that particular sign was the subject of an article during the print days of the B-Voice. So it is wholly appropriate to show that the Harvey sign is not only one of more egregious examples of what not to do with electronic signs it is also today breaking the law when it comes to off premise advertisments as it promotes a local jeweler and Mike Harvey Honda both establishments on the other side of town.

So,it is clear that either the ordinance needs stronger enforcement or the ordinace needs to be changed.

To further clarify what the council is thinking about, it is my understanding that they are only investigating an electronic sign along highway 101, not anywhere in the midst of Burlingame.

However, if you look closely at the new downtown streetscape, you will notice four platforms that will eventually accommodate kisoks, ( should have taken a photo, but didn't think of that.) These kiosks can display static directories or display electronic directories, the thought being that advertisng would help defray the costs of the kiosks over time. This notion too seems to avoid the issue of off premise signage.

One philosophical question regarding revenue is that as in this case the public is subjected to the advertisment, should the public not benefit in some financial way? In other words, even though this billboard is on private property, it is selling ad space to others…should the city be handed a small fee? Just asking?