A Billboard Grows In Bensalem
A giant digital billboard that a lot of people didn’t know we were getting in Bensalem, will now be in a new location.
Premier Media, LLC applied to place a digital billboard at the intersection of Street Road and Hulmeville Road. The Township denied the request for variances that would have allowed it, so Premier Media appealed the decision to the Common Pleas Court.
The Bensalem Township Council and Zoning Board then collaborated with Premier Media to explore alternatives to ongoing litigation. The Township was concerned that they could potentially lose and end up with the billboard at that location, which the Township wanted to avoid.
The Township, Zoning Hearing Board and Premier Media appeared in front of the Common Pleas Court Judge to discuss the possibility of a settlement that would allow the sign to be located at a different location in the Township.
The settlement has been reached, and the location for the digital sign will be on township-owned land along Street Road, right next to the slip ramp entrance to the Turnpike. As a result, the Township will receive revenue from the placement of the signage.
Over the course of the lease, the Township is expected to receive revenue in excess of $1.1 million.
The settlement would also give the Township access to the sign such that the Township would have the ability to put messaging that is Township based on the sign “one panel per minute every minute every day 365 days a year.”
The township will have the authority to control the content of the digital sign. This means that any advertising promoting alcohol or tobacco will not be allowed. Additionally, the township will have the final say on all types of advertising, including political advertising, that can be displayed on the sign.
Premier Media will be responsible for installation costs, maintenance, and utilities in addition to planting additional buffering and screening that will block the view of the Emergency Services Training facility from Street Road. Improving the vista as part of the arrangement.
With the settlement finalized, the Bensalem Council approved the agreement with a unanimous 4-0 vote.