At tonight’s city council meeting on July 8, 2024, first Action Item on the agenda will allow the city to change the zoning code to allow for digital kiosks in the public space. This will allow advertising to sold in a public space where advertising has previously been prohibited.
By amending ‘Title 17 Zoning…Signs in the Public Right of Way” and changing the definition of “terms and phrases related to digital wayfinding kiosks on public property…” this vote will clear the way for the downtown public area to host ads.
The city banned billboards in the early 1990’s as a part of the economic program to beautify the area and make it a pleasant place to come and socialize. In 2017, a major shift by the council allowed for Westfield/Fox Hills Mall to have billboards on their south facing entry, with the stipulation that they could only be used to advertise products and stores at the mall. That requirement has been overlooked more often than it’s been obeyed, with the billboards often advertising movies (as one example, ) while there is no where in the mall to watch a film.
While the motion to change the zoning code to allow for digital kiosks leans heavily on language of ‘wayfinding,’ the secondary purpose of advertising is likely the prime factor.
The agenda also requests the authorization to release a request for proposals; if this item passes, as expected, the kiosks could be in place before the Summer Concert series is over for the year.
Judith Martin-Straw
Photo- Digital Kiosk/Gateway North, Brooklyn
