THE BILLBOARD at 3300 Park Road may soon become entirely digital.
City of Benicia photo

New deals may be worth hundreds of thousands, officials say

By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

An overview of proposed upgrades to a trio of billboards that are visible from Interstate 680 will be up for discussion Thursday at the meeting of the Economic Development Board.

City staff will present proposed upgrades to two billboards used by Clear Channel Outdoor and one used by CBS Outdoor, both of which are on city property.

Clear Channel has proposed upgrading its brightly lit static message billboards at 3300 Park Road and 3190 Bayshore Road to digital LED reader boards of the same dimensions.

The CBS project would similarly upgrade the existing “Nationwide” sign, which itself is owned by the city of Benicia. Currently a combination digital reader board and static billboard, CBS has proposed upgrading it to become a full digital LED reader board of similar overall size.

The new sign would not exceed the current height, according to the proposal.

Mario Giuliani, Benicia economic development manager, and Mark Rhoades, planning consultant, wrote in a report to the EDB that “The proposed upgrades do present a significant economic development opportunity. Staff is negotiating terms that will provide increased revenue to the city over time.”

The city owns the land on which all three billboards are located, they wrote.

“All of the proposed lease agreements are on city property and the annual city proceeds are projected to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars,” they wrote.

They urged board members to provide feedback and commentary that can be shared with the Planning Commission later this month, and possibly with the City Council in December.

Also on the EDB’s agenda is an overview of amendments to code language for Benicia industrial zoning districts. Staff intends to present the amendments, along with EDB input, to the Planning Commission later this month, and to the City Council in December.

“Staff has been working with the Benicia Industrial Park Association, the Chamber of Commerce and the EDB to develop zoning language as a part of the city’s ongoing economic development efforts to help retain and attract industrial business,” Giuliani and Rhoades wrote.

“There are three parts to the amendments, which we hope to finalize with the Economic Development Board, Planning Commission and City Council over the next few months,” they wrote. “The three parts include design review authority, simplifying land use regulations, and adding ‘Research and Development’ and ‘Technology’ to the list of permitted uses.”

New Benicia businesses or businesses that have moved or made any changes to their business name will be acknowledged during the presentation. They are: Tow Bully, Family Fun Entertainment, Delticom North America, Elle Placement DBA: Golden Gate Staffing, Cardio Kickboxing With Jennifer Vallejos, Brickspace, Jennifer Chapdelain (Administrative Services), Peaceful Healing Hands, Barbara Patrick Skin, Lil’ Luna, Express Messenger Systems Inc., DBA: Ontrac, Fabrics On First, and Healthy Options Vending.

If You Go
The Economic Development Board will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday in Room 2 at the Community Center, 370 East L St.

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