Billboard Debate On Township's Border Persists

Provided by Haverford-Havertown Patch

Lower Merion Township Solicitor Bill Kerr finished his cross examination of the land planning consultant and witness for the group proposing the signs.

By Danielle Vickery

The latest testimony in the ongoing billboard debate in Haverford Township  finished up with Lower Merion Township’s cross examination of the land planning consultant and witness for the group proposing the signs and recapped some of what was discussed at January's Zoning Hearing Board meeting.
Lower Merion Township has joined Haverford Township in fighting the billboards because the signs on Lancaster Avenue in Haverford Township proposed by Bartkowski Investment Group (BIG) would overlook Lower Merion Township. The group is also proposing several signs along West Chester Pike.
Lower Merion Solicitor Bill Kerr finished his cross examination of Larry Waetzman, a land planning consultant and witness for BIG. That group is challenging the validity and constitutionality of Haverford Township zoning code that prohibits signs “that advertise a product or service elsewhere than upon the property on which the sign is located.”
The Feb 3. hearing, peppered with objections from BIG attorney Marc Kaplin, frequently gave way to groans from the audience of community members gathered in opposition of the signs, about which Kerr asked Waetzman of their visibility from Bryn Mawr.
“I can’t speak to the entire district, but it’s possible for a short distance,” Larry Waetzman said. “The further one gets away, the less conspicuous the signs will be.”
Waetzman repeated his previous testimony by saying that Bryn Mawr Village has a sense of place but is unsure of whether that same character is represented in adjacent areas.
It was pointed out that there are billboards in Ardmore of about the same height as those currently proposed in Haverford Township, and Waetzman said that Ardmore has a sense of character and place despite the signs. Kerr pressed Waetzman by asking him if the signs there negatively impact Ardmore.
“I don’t think they help,” Waetzman said. “They are existing structures, but they have a negative impact.”
Waetzman confirmed that billboards are difficult to get rid of once they’ve been put up. However, Waetzman also said the sense of character that Bryn Mawr has falls off outside of the confines of Bryn Mawr Village.

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