We thought we had rid ourselves of River Road’s 80-foot tall billboard last year when the Puyallup hearing examiner said it violated city code and had to go.
But it’s back; this time just three blocks outside of the city’s boundaries and jurisdiction.
Because the new monster sign is on tribal land, it is also outside of Pierce County’s control. Fourpoints Communications, the Kent-based company that has put up a handful of these unusually large billboards throughout the South Sound, doesn’t need a permit from the county to build on the Puyallup Tribe of Indians’ property.
That doesn’t make it any less of a nuisance and a danger, though.
Puyallup first became concerned with the old billboard because it didn’t have any permits, violated zoning codes and there was a concern of public safety — at 1,200 square feet, the sign was the size of a small home. A stop-work order was issued and when it was appealed, the issue wound up in front of the city’s hearing examiner, who found in favor of the city. Fourpoints Communication took the decision to federal court.
Fourpoints Communications President and CEO Don MacCord refused to say how big the new billboard is, but this one is now longer than it is tall, sporting a bright red McDonald’s ad.
It turns out the city of Puyallup was justified in its concern — on March 13 a similar style billboard collapsed in Tacoma, crushing a smoke shop below. The smoke shop was closed and no one was hurt, but if this billboard landed on River Road, it’s doubtful to have the same injury-free outcome. Just last month a man in Pakistan was killed when a billboard fell on him. In 2002, a billboard collapsed on a Georgia shopping center, killing three men. The list goes on.
MacCord says he met all of the Puyallup tribe’s requirements when he got a permit for the newest billboard. Calls to the tribe weren’t returned but it would be unfortunate if their regulations differed drastically from surrounding communities. Most jurisdictions, such as Puyallup and Pierce County, allow billboards only in specific situations because of safety concerns, and also to prevent visual clutter.
Signs as big as the one Fourpoints installed on River Road block the view of the Cascade Mountain range, which is exactly what the state’s Scenic Vista Act was trying to avoid.
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