When husband-and-wife Gerry Santora and Bernadette McLain received a notice in their mailbox on a Saturday alerting them that on Monday, April 15, Forest Park’s planning and zoning commission would meet to discuss rezoning part of the 711 Des Plaines Ave. property for a new billboard, they were a bit shocked.
“We had no idea that it was even in play. We really didn’t know anything about it,” McLain said. “From our perspective, we were blindsided and not happy, to say the least.”
“We were just really surprised that nobody knew about this,” Santora said about his neighbors on the 600 block of Lathrop Ave., where the couple has lived for seven years.
The CTA proposed the 120-foot-tall billboard with two, 60-foot-wide LED screens that are always on, though they’re dimmed at night, at the southeast corner of the CTA Blue Line station in Forest Park.
The CTA pitched the billboard to advertise goods and services, according to a staff report made last month by Steve Glinke, director of the village’s department of public health and safety. Because the billboard is slated to be on CTA property, Forest Park won’t get any money from the billboard’s advertisements. CTA said it’s still in discussion with the village and will have answers to questions at a later date.
And some residents are not happy.
“It’s ugly, it’s an eyesore, it’s going to be glaring into our windows and our neighbors’ windows,” said Bridgett Rummel, who has lived on the 600 block of Lathrop Avenue for the last 18 years, about 500 feet from the proposed billboard. “For something that big and intrusive, it doesn’t bring any revenue to our town.”
“If there was revenue coming back to the town, that’s a different value proposition,” Santora said. “Why are we even wasting money on meetings and fighting about this if there’s literally no benefits to the town?”
Does Forest Park have jurisdiction over billboards?
Municipalities like Forest Park aren’t the authority on whether billboards are installed. Although approval for billboards is regulated at a state level by the Illinois Department of Transportation, new billboards must comply with Forest Park’s local ordinances.
Because 711 Des Plaines Ave. is in an industrial district, the village’s department of public health and safety would need to pass a conditional use permit to install a billboard there.
The conditional use permit was discussed in the April 15 planning and zoning commission meeting.
Forest Park’s Village Code requires the village to publish a notice of a public hearing in a generally circulated paper at least 15 days before the hearing. A public notice was printed in the March 27 issue of the Forest Park Review. The code also requires notices to be mailed no less than seven days before the public hearing to those within 250 feet of the subject of the application, in this case, the billboard – which is why Santora, McLain and their neighbors received the notice.
“I think the real takeaway here, in my opinion, is how do we, going forward, do a better job of informing the community?” Santora said. “Only a few neighbors got those cards and handouts and the whole community didn’t, even though this thing is going to loom 100 feet in the air and everybody is going to see it.”
At the public hearing, which Santora and five or so of his neighbors attended, the planning and zoning commission addressed the seven items that need to be met to approve a conditional use permit for the billboard. The staff report lists these items, including:
- The sign will be entirely contained on the subject property and will not interfere with the use or enjoyment of the surrounding properties
- The proposed sign is limited in size and scope, and is entirely confined to the subject property
- The proposed sign will be limited to the subject property and will not impact traffic congestion on local streets
- The proposed use will not change the use allowances or established character of the subject property
Because the billboard doesn’t violate any of these items, village staff recommended that the planning and zoning commission endorse the conditional use permit to the village council, according to the staff report.
But some residents said they don’t agree with that decision.
“Its intent is to be seen and distracting,” McLain said of the billboard. “It’s just so contrary to the reality and what will impact the people.”
“Zoning is in place to protect the community, right? Why would we consider the release of a zoning ordinance?” McLain added. “That’s doing just the opposite. It’s not like it’s improving our town.”
“It’s the one form of advertising that you can never escape,” Santora said. “Whether you like it or not, you’re going to see these advertisements. That’s probably the most troubling thing.”
This sentiment is common among the couple’s neighbors.
“We’re trying to attract quality businesses, tenants and people who are willing to pay the taxes that we pay here in Forest Park,” said another resident of the 600 block of Lathrop Ave. during public comment at a village council meeting April 22. “Visual appeal is big, and being able to sleep well at night, not have something flashing and trying to sell you something, is very important to me and a lot of people’s family values in the neighborhood.”
Residents also argue that a billboard will affect energy consumption and property values. While an LED billboard takes more energy than a traditional billboard, McLain, who’s a realtor, said it could also impact the local housing market.
“If you have a choice of buying a home that has a billboard in front of it or in view versus one that doesn’t, you’re going to choose the one that doesn’t. It definitely reduces the buying pool,” McLain said.
A second planning and zoning commission meeting discussing the CTA billboard will take place May 20 at 7 p.m. in Village Hall.
“I was told the only thing we could do is write our council and commissioners and come to the meeting and make a public statement,” McLain said. “Nobody would want a billboard that’s in view of their home. I don’t know anybody who would ask for that.”
