Planner and police officer testify at Haverford billboard hearing

By Lois Puglionesi CORRESPONDENT

HAVERFORD TWP. -- Landscape architect and planner Thomas Comitta and Deputy Police Chief John Viola completed testimony before the Zoning Board in a case concerning Delaware County Outdoor LLCs substantive validity challenge to township ordinances that allegedly exclude commercial off-premises advertising billboards.

DC Outdoor filed the challenge in October 2013, alleging that Haverford zoning ordinances do not allow billboards, a legitimate business use, anywhere in the township. DC Outdoor also entered into lease agreements to install billboards at 510-534 and 1200 West Chester Pike. However, DC Outdoor did not file specific plans.

Presented as a witness by solicitor James Byrne, Comitta said he reviewed the Delaware County Planning Departments 1994 Historic Resource Survey for Haverford Township, where he found 119 historic properties inventoried. Many neighborhoods are over a century old, Comitta said. The presence of historic resources, as well as other factors Comitta cited at prior hearings, render Haverford an inappropriate place to install large, 672-square foot billboards, Comitta said.

Comitta affirmed that he based his assumptions about the size of signs on a prior case that began in 2009, when Bartkowski Investment Group made a similar validity challenge and proposed five 672-square foot billboards, 55-77 feet high, at five locations in Haverford. The Zoning Board denied and dismissed the application in Feb. 2012. Common Pleas Court upheld the ruling on appeal.

Comitta recalled that BIG presented expert witnesses who said billboards could only be safe and effective at those configurations. Township engineer Dave Pennoni and assistant township manager Lori Hanlon-Widdop recently based their testimony on similar assumptions.

Viola followed suit when he testified from his perspective as a police officer of 44 years, well-acquainted with traffic conditions and issues on West Chester Pike.

The 10-12 second window required for viewing a billboard could prove deadly along the heavily trafficked corridor, Viola said. When driving on the Pike You have to have your utmost attention on the roadway. Billboards would add to the confusion...and the amount of accidents because of distraction, said Viola.

Viola presented data showing that police investigated 2,551 accidents on West Chester Pike, between Lawrence and Township Line Roads, from 2011-2014. He also presented a log of 5,434 traffic citations between March 2009 and January 2014 for that area.

During cross-examination DC Outdoor attorney Amee Farrell noted that accident data Viola provided reflects the number of vehicles involved in accidents, not the number of incidents.

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Planner and police officer testify at Haverford billboard hearing