No-Go For Billboard Proposal Near Interstate 280 In West Orange

WEST ORANGE, NJ — A proposal to allow billboards in the area of 10 Rooney Circle near Interstate 280 didn’t find support among West Orange Town Council members last week.

The council declined to introduce ordinance 2680-22 at its April 5 meeting, preventing the proposal from moving forward (watch the video below).

If passed, the ordinance would have amended the Executive Drive – Rooney Circle Redevelopment Plan to allow for either static or digital billboards overlooking I-280. The billboards would be subject to planning board approval and a “sharing of income acceptable to the township.” They would also have to comply with state roadside sign control and outdoor advertising standards, and be located “as close as possible” to the property line abutting I-280.

The proposed ordinance also states that billboard operators “shall work with the township to provide an opportunity to display public service messages to the extent feasible.”

A similar township-wide proposal was proposed last year and failed.

Local advocacy group Our Green West Orange criticized the proposal prior to last week’s meeting.

“Mounting evidence shows these ‘eye-catching’ screens distract drivers and increase accidents,” the group alleged. “They waste electricity, are visually cheapening, and represent a threat to safety on our busiest streets. Entire states have banned billboards. Our suburban neighbors, like Maplewood, do not allow this.”

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