A rather long and sometimes contentious meeting of the Evesham Township Zoning Board occurred on Monday, January 25, 2021. The end result was that an application to build a Landmark Structure with a digital billboard was denied by a 3-4 vote. But the process of how the board got to that point raises significant questions as to whether the right decision was made, because one of the key reasons cited in denying the application appears to be factually incorrect.
(The structure was alternately called a digital billboard, a structure, a landmark and a few other things. I will be referring to it as 'landmark' from here on out.)
Aside from the height, the major difference between the new Landmark and the previously approved one was the location. The new Landmark is located in a section of town known as 'Evesham Crossroads', whose development is addressed in the Evesham 2020 Vision Plan (written in 2009) and the updated "Evesham Township Downtown Vision Plan", which was approved earlier this month at the Evesham Planning Board and incorporated into the 'Master Plan' for Evesham.
Also on page 37 is an artists rendering of what Evesham might look like if the plan is followed: included are 8 LED Towers (which I've numbered). The tower I've marked #4 is in the general area that the applicant is asking to build a Landmark at.
So just what is that blue tower on page 37? It is an "M4 Tower", located on the M4 Highway near Heathrow Airport in London, a "London advertising landmark, exclusively designed by award-winning architects Foster and Partners." The photo on page 37 is from the lower roadway (much like Route 70), and here is the view from the upper roadway (like Route 73):"
And here it is during the day, advertising the all new Lexus RX:
The same photo of the M4 Tower appears on Page 26 in the most recent Vision Plan from January 2021 as well, stating that the photos were included in the original Vision Plan "as ideas for landmark structures." As noted, that new Vision Plan was approved by the Planning Board on January 21, 2021.
Accordingly, it would appear that digital billboards are indeed included in the Vision Plans. As two additional members of the Zoning Board cited Mr Student's reasoning as part of the basis for their own "NO" votes, it appears that the denial of this application may not be supported by all of the contentions made.
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| Proposed Landmark just to the east of Route 73 and 73 on-ramp |
The proposed landmark would have been located just off of Route 73 North, between Caliber Collision and Public Storage, just north of where the Marlton Circle was located. Because the landmark would need to be seen on the elevated Route 73 overpass, the entire structure would be 58 feet tall.
It should be noted that a similar landmark was already approved for construction in Evesham at a prior meeting of the Zoning Board more than a year ago, on January 27th, 2020, to be located at the Cherry Hill border on Route 70. The technology and functionality of the new landmark would be identical to the one that was approved by a unanimous 7-0 vote. Concerns regarding hours of operation, nature of specific ads, light pollution and traffic concerns would be very similar to the previously approved structure.
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| Landmark approved in January 2020 |
Aside from the height, the major difference between the new Landmark and the previously approved one was the location. The new Landmark is located in a section of town known as 'Evesham Crossroads', whose development is addressed in the Evesham 2020 Vision Plan (written in 2009) and the updated "Evesham Township Downtown Vision Plan", which was approved earlier this month at the Evesham Planning Board and incorporated into the 'Master Plan' for Evesham.
During the meeting, Zoning Board Chair Sandy Student cited that he was one of the authors of the original Vision Plan, and that those writing the plan "never spoke about an outdoor billboard sign." Similarly, during the public comment portion of the meeting, Alicia Marrone, Chair of the Evesham Township Planning Board, noted that the Planning Board had just recently approved the new "Vision Plan" and stated the "master plan, which is sort of the outgrowth of both the 2010 Visioning study and the 2018 public input, notably does not include any reference to electronic billboards."
While explaining his "NO" vote, Mr Student further explained that the "applicant is not keeping with the Vision Plan which we spent over 12 years developing. Its not keeping with the revision that was presented last week at the planning board that we heard from Ms. Marrone about, who is the Chair of that…I do not see a public good. I see no jobs. I see no improvement to the quality of life... I was one of the authors for the 2020 Vision study and this is not at all what we had envisioned."
While explaining his "NO" vote, Mr Student further explained that the "applicant is not keeping with the Vision Plan which we spent over 12 years developing. Its not keeping with the revision that was presented last week at the planning board that we heard from Ms. Marrone about, who is the Chair of that…I do not see a public good. I see no jobs. I see no improvement to the quality of life... I was one of the authors for the 2020 Vision study and this is not at all what we had envisioned."
All that begs the question: Are digital billboard mentioned in the Vision Plans?
It turns out they are.
The photo below appears on page 37 of the original 2020 Vision Plan, with the caption "State of the art LED towers are one way to establish the identity of Evesham Crossroads during the daytime and evening."
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| Page 37 of the Evesham 2020 Vision Plan showing 'LED Towers' |
Also on page 37 is an artists rendering of what Evesham might look like if the plan is followed: included are 8 LED Towers (which I've numbered). The tower I've marked #4 is in the general area that the applicant is asking to build a Landmark at.
So just what is that blue tower on page 37? It is an "M4 Tower", located on the M4 Highway near Heathrow Airport in London, a "London advertising landmark, exclusively designed by award-winning architects Foster and Partners." The photo on page 37 is from the lower roadway (much like Route 70), and here is the view from the upper roadway (like Route 73):"
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| M4 tower at night |
And here it is during the day, advertising the all new Lexus RX:
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| M4 Tower during the day |
The same photo of the M4 Tower appears on Page 26 in the most recent Vision Plan from January 2021 as well, stating that the photos were included in the original Vision Plan "as ideas for landmark structures." As noted, that new Vision Plan was approved by the Planning Board on January 21, 2021.
Accordingly, it would appear that digital billboards are indeed included in the Vision Plans. As two additional members of the Zoning Board cited Mr Student's reasoning as part of the basis for their own "NO" votes, it appears that the denial of this application may not be supported by all of the contentions made.
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