PAST PROJECTS
Billboard Advertising – In the past, VPSN has researched the presence of billboards in Vancouver that are out of compliance with current zoning and licensing regulations. Changes to the licensing of billboards were introduced in 2000 that require billboards to be located at least 60 metres away from residentially zoned areas. However, a number of billboards still exist within this allotted area – often causing frustration to renters and home-owners who have to deal with the lights that illuminate the signs, or the rattle of rotating-message signs.
Several years ago, the VPSN was also involved in raising awareness around the Squamish Nation proposal to put oversize billboards adjacent to the Burrard Street Bridge in Kitsilano, and the Lions Gate and Second Narrows Bridges in West Vancouver and North Vancouver respectively. The VPSN supported the Squamish Nation’s pursuit of community economic development on their land. However, we felt that the potential development of billboards in these three areas reflects a planning decision that will ultimately be problematic for everyone – the Squamish Nation, residents of Kitsilano and the city-at-large, and visitors to Vancouver. Installing large-scale, brightly illuminated signs right next to one of the city’s key view-sheds may provide limited short-term gain for the Squamish, but it likely does so at the expense of long-term benefits.
