November 2, 2011
Scenic Texas at Work
This month’s “Scenic Views” a newsletter from Scenic Texas features an announcement of “This Space Available,” a feature documentary exploring grassroots efforts to deal with visual pollution worldwide. Learn more from Scenic Texas.
June 2, 2011
Signs of the times: billboards, property rights, and the enlightenment
At the heart of the struggle between anti- and pro-billboarders is the question: who owns the view? If private landowners want to put up a forest of monopoles, who am I to tell them not to? Maybe it’s a rancher or a farmer trying to scare up some much-needed cash. I’m sure there are all sorts of compelling reasons for leasing your property to the outdoor advertising industry. It’s your right, isn’t it? Read more from Madroño Ranch here.
March 15, 2011
Proposed legislation would allow more digital commercial billboards and override existing local law
SB 971 could change the face of the Hill Country, a region with tremendous scenic value. Scenic Texas alerts us that this will allow hundreds of digital billboards to be built not only inside the corporate limits but also inside the ETJ’s of most cities in Texas regardless of what the city has voted to do. For example, in Austin, except for relocations of billboards for highway construction, there have been no new billboards in the city or the unincorporated ETJ since 1985. This bill will be heard at 8:00 am on Wednesday (Tomorrow) in the Senate Transportation Committee. Read the details from Scenic Texashere. More about HCA scenic issues here.
March 5, 2011
Local control of rural billboard construction sought
New billboards continue to devalue the scenic beauty of the Hill Country landscape however in rural Texas, counties don’t have anything to say about it. Scenic Texas’ most recent newsletter reports that a bill has been introduced to give counties the tool they need to prohibit new billboards in unincorporated areas if they wish to do so. Learn more about the proposed legislation here. Find out more about Scenic Texas here.