Austin McMullen

LED billboard will affect Oak Hill homes in Franklin Road area

"Will detract from the residences," mayor says

By Chris Brooks, The Green Hills News, October 27, 2011

The city of Oak Hill may have to deal with the bright lights of a digital billboard soon after the Metro Board of Zoning Appeals approved the installation of a LED billboard along Franklin Road.

The new billboard would replace the current tri-panel billboard at 100 Franklin Road, approximately 450 feet from the southern boundary of Oak Hill. Approximately 24 homes could be impacted by the new board, with some of those affected houses sitting 300 or more feet higher in elevation than the billboard itself.

In a letter to Chief Zoning Examiner Joey Hargis, Oak Hill Mayor Austin McMullen expressed his concern with the new billboard.

“The proposed internally illuminated LED billboard is in no way compatible with an will be detrimental to the adjacent uses that currently exist within the City of Oak Hill,” McMullen wrote in the letter. “Billboards are not permitted within Oak Hill, and the proposed addition of a large illuminated LED billboard will detract from the residences, particularly those at higher elevations that have views of the area.”

The city has enacted dark sky regulations, which are meant to curtail degradation of the nighttime visual environment and the night sky to minimize glare and obtrusive light. McMullen cited a study in his letter, saying “The majority of public complaints about digital billboards concern excessive brightness, particularly at night, to the extent that they become the most conspicuous item in the visual field, and draw the eye away from other object[s] that need to be seen.”

Another concern the mayor noted was the location of the sign, which is close to the busy intersection of Franklin Rd. and Old Hickory Blvd. The sign impacts both Oak Hill and Brentwood; both cities are still investigating the possibility of an appeal following the 4-2 decision in favor of the new billboard.