Springville, Concord and NYSDOT in discussions about signage on Route 219

Two New York State Department of Transportation representatives were in attendance at a meeting held Feb. 8 to discuss signage along the Route 291 expressway and South Cascade Drive.

Following the temporary closing of the old Route 219 high level bridge, the Springville Area Chamber of Commerce, the village of Springville, the town of Concord, local citizens and businesses took another look at the feasibility of placing signage along routes 219 and 39 and South Cascade Drive.

The DOT representatives presented the options available for promotion along these routes to those at the meeting. Discussed were two types of signage, off-premise and on-premise. Off-premise signs advertise a business on someone else’s property. On-premise signage advertises a business on its own property.

Because the Route 219 Expressway south of the Orchard Park exit is designated as part of the Scenic Byway, “on-premise and off-premise signage are both prohibited,” Chamber of Commerce representative Kate Moody said. “None are allowed at all.” Off-premise signs are allowed on the south portion of Route 39 only.

According to the DOT, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Highway Beautification Act in 1965, which was “to provide the necessary control of signs along the Interstate Highway System and the Primary Highway System within the states.” Included in the laws, rules and regulations enacted by that act was the idea of a scenic highway, a federal program that New York state participates in. “Once a scenic byway has been officially designated by the New York State Legislature, the state may not allow the erection of any sign, display or device on these highways,” according to the DOT.

The only option available on the expressway is a logo sign, what Moody called “a metal sign made exactly to the specifications that the DOT gave us.” Logo signs, placed near an exit ramp, cost between $10,000 - $15,000 each. “We would love to put up those signs,” Moody said, adding that the chamber will be talking to local businesses about getting logos erected on Route 219 sometime in the future.

While the only types of businesses approved for listing on logo signs are fuel, food, lodging, camping and attractions, Moody said that it is the chamber’s hope that, while retail businesses cannot advertise on these signs, “traffic that sees a sign that says Tim Hortons, Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s or Ponderosa will get off and then see the other types of businesses.”

Moody said that several Springville business owners have already expressed interest in being listed on the logo signs. In order to have a logo put on a sign along the expressway, businesses must be located within a certain distance of the proposed sign location: 3 miles for fuel, 6 miles for food, 9 miles for lodging, 12 miles for camping and 15 miles for attractions.

Another topic discussed at the Feb. 8 meeting was the improvement of the signage along South Cascade Drive. “There are all kinds of codes pertaining to what kind of signs can be erected and the process of getting a variance granted,” Moody said. “We’re not wanting to slap up a bunch of billboards that make the village or the town unattractive. I understand that both the town and village have regulations and that’s a good thing.”

Springville Mayor William Krebs and Concord Town Supervisor Gary Eppolito both expressed that they would be willing to, on a case by case basis, look at variances for signs along South Cascade Drive that “would collectively promote a shopping district.”

While Moody stressed that the idea of signs in any of the above locations was in its “very early stages,” she said that, along the expressway especially, “they’re desperately needed.” She said that the signs won’t be going up overnight, but that she is encouraged by business owners’ taking initiative to pursue the signage options. “They know the process now and how to accomplish that,” she said. “The chamber will certainly support them in what we can.” For the immediate future, chamber resources will be focused on signage along the Route 219 Expressway.

The DOT encouraged anyone with questions about the Scenic Byway or signage along this portion of Route 219 to contact DOT Regional Director Darrell Kaminski at 847-3238.