London City Council committee members voted to send changes to the city sign code to council that would allow existing billboards to seek permits for improvements or replacement rather than being limited to maintenance only.

The change would amend ordinance 1268.14 to add a subsection saying “improvements or expansions of illegal nonconforming sign may be considered and shall require a permit and approval from the planning commission,” the safety service director reported during committee updates.

Why it matters: the city currently prohibits new billboards and restricts existing ones to maintenance only. Representatives from Lamar, which owns several double-sided billboards near Wendy’s and other locations, asked for permission to remove decayed structures and replace them with a single, taller, updated sign. City staff told committee that the proposed amendment would preserve the prohibition on new billboards while creating a review path for changes to the existing signs.

Details: the safety service director described the company’s request as aiming to “get rid of the old junky ones, put up 1 real nice 1 that sets a little bit higher,” and said renderings shown to the commission would “look 10 times better than what's currently there.” Committee members noted there are only a handful of billboard locations in the city today, including the double-sided signs near Wendy’s, a sign above Tony’s Bar and Grill, and a sign on West High Street.

Process and next steps: the safety service committee voted 3–0 to forward the recommended amendment to full council, where the ordinance would be considered at a future meeting. If approved by council, the amended code would require permit review and planning commission approval for any proposed improvements or expansions of existing nonconforming signs.

Public context: councilmembers asked clarifying questions about which signs the change would affect and whether the code would still bar new billboards. The discussion emphasized that the city’s long-standing policy against new billboards would remain in place.

No final ordinance vote was recorded during the meeting; the item will appear on a future council agenda for formal consideration.