Lamar billboard agreement and ward signs
Summary
Lamar will pay the city $2.5 million, $280,000 for ward signs, and a share of ad revenue to swap ten static billboards for digital ones. Some residents slammed the optics; the council emphasized the money flows to the city, not from it.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 4
- Last 30 days
- 0
Last discussed May 19, 2026.
Impact analysis
$2.5 million one-time plus ongoing 12.5-25% revenue share to the city's general fund.
The city's general fund and all wards receiving new identification signage.
Some residents object aesthetically to additional digital billboards on arterials and freeways.
Mentions & discussions (4)
City Council — May 19, 2026
Lamar will pay the city $2.5 million, $280,000 for ward signs, and a share of ad revenue to swap ten static billboards for digital ones. Some residents slammed the optics; the council emphasized the money flows to the city, not from it.
City Council — March 24, 2026
The council was asked to update zoning rules on when billboards can be relocated or replaced around the city. The changes also shift who approves and hears appeals on billboard signs.
Planning Commission — February 12, 2026
Zoning changes would spell out how existing billboards can be relocated around the city under agreements the City Council negotiates. It shapes where large advertising signs can appear in the future.
Economic Development Committee — January 22, 2026
The committee was scheduled to review how the city regulates billboards — including rules under the Caltrans Outdoor Advertising Act and local code chapters governing existing signs. Any policy changes could affect what advertising appears along Riverside corridors.
Related development
Riverside Alive Project
This major downtown development would grow the convention center and add housing and jobs, but the appeal says the environmental review may fall short.
Billboard relocation provisions — Title 19 amendments
Could lead to modernized, potentially digital billboards replacing older static signs, with revenue for the city but no codified cap on intensity.
Billboard Relocation and Replacement Text Amendments
The changes would affect how and where billboard signs appear across the city and who gets the final say on appeals.
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