Billboard Relocation and Removal

    Recent Updates

    Cove Outdoor, LLC submitted an application to MassDOT Highway District 6 to commence with the tree removal along Route 3. This will allow for Cove to lower the 611 Pleasant Street billboard per the recent billboard agreement amendment. Below are the documents submitted, including the Weymouth Conservation Commission's Order of Conditions, issued on February 16, 2021. 


    Amendment to the Billboard Relocation Agreement

    After months of negotiations, the Town successfully amended the Billboard Relocation Agreement between the Town, Cove Outdoor, LLC, Bates Brothers Seam Face Granite Co. Inc., and Lorusso-Bristol Corp. The new agreement results in the following:

    611 Pleasant Street Mitigation

    • 611 is immediately turned off (completed on 1/4/21)
    • Cove will lower the sign 20-25 feet
    • Cove will install light blocking technology
    • 611 remains off until the sign is lowered and light blocking is installed
    • Cove will provide plantings/fencing as a visual barrier
    • The work must be completed by 9/30/2021

    Preserve 42 Acres of Open Space near Finnell Drive

    • Bristol will convey all 42 acre of open space if a permit is granted for 0 Finnell
    • Cove cannot operate 0 Finnell until light blocking faces are installed at 611
    Other provisions
    • No permit will be granted for 613 Pleasant Street
    • Route 18 Billboard is mitigated
    • Route 3A billboards come down at the expiration of their leases
    • Content Guidelines have been updated and adopted in accordance with resident requests

    For a presentation on the new agreement, click here. This presentation was conducted on January 13, 2021. For a recording of the presentation, please contact Christine Howe

    See below for the full text of the Amendment to the Billboard Agreement and the accompaying new guidelines, included as Exhibit A to the agreement:


    See below for Town Solicitor Joseph Callahan's letter to Edward E. O'Sullivan, Esquire titled "Notice of Default by Cove Outdoor LLC..." dated January 18th 2022:


    See below for the Mayor's recent memos to the Town Council regarding his disapproval of Measure 20-100: Citizen's petition requesting to change zoning ordinance, Section 120-64.7.1 and Measure 20-117: Town Council zoning ordinance amendment to section 120-64.7.1, Billboard Relocation Overlay District, imposing a one-year moratorium on new permit issuance


    Background

    In April of 2018, the Town Council approved a billboard relocation overlay district which would provide for the removal and relocation of pre-existing, legally established billboards, to new locations while achieving an overall reduction in billboards throughout the Town. This zoning change was presented by Mayor Hedlund in an effort to remove the long-standing, permanently existing Route 3A billboards while also allowing the Town to achieve several other goals.

    After passage of the Overlay District, the Town entered into an agreement with Bristol Brothers Seam Face Corporation, Bristol-Lorusso Stone Corp., and Cove Outdoor, LLC to allow for the construction of two 2-sided electronic billboards along Route 3. This would achieve the following:

    • Remove the 9 static billboard faces on Route 3A
    • Mitigate the Impacts of the Rt 18 Abington Billboard
    • Prevent unfriendly development in Finnell Drive
    • Preserve the privately-owned open space abutting Gagnon Park 
    • Bring in revenue to the Town

    (For a presentation on the history of the project, please click here)

    Original Agreement

    The original agreement called for two electronic billboards to be sited at 611 Pleasant Street and 613 Pleasant Street. Cove Outdoor, LLC applied for these two electronic billboards with the State Office of Outdoor Advertising and they were approved by OOA and legally permitted. Cove then constructed the billboard at 611 Pleasant Street in April of 2019. After it was illuminated, the impacts of the billboard became apparent. The billboard greatly impacted the residents living across Route 3 in the Century Road area neighborhoods. Because of the unintended negative consequences of the 611 Pleasant Street board, Cove did not construct 613 Pleasant Street and turned off the 611 board. Cove and the Town began working on an alternative plan to mitigate the impacts of the billboard. This involved dozens of meetings with neighbors, residents, Councilors, and the parties to the agreement. 

    The Century Road residents, Cove, and the Town agreed to a non-binding remediation agreement in December of 2019. After this was signed, Cove began operating the 611 billboard. In addition, Cove sought a permit at 0 Finnell Drive in order to construct a second board further north on Route 3. This would allow the Town to preserve all 42 acres of land abutting Gagnon Park, as it would be financially acceptable to the landowner, Bristol. In addition, it would prevent the construction of a second billboard near the Century Road neighborhoods, at 613 Pleasant Street. 

    Cove agreed to complete the remediation for 611 Pleasant Street by June of 2020. However, unable to secure financing, Cove did not uphold its obligations in that agreement by the June 30, 2020 deadline. As such, the Town and Cove entered into discussions to amend the existing Billboard Relocation Agreement and present a plan that will solve the problems and still achieve the Town's goals of removing Rte 3A billboards, preserving the open space, and mitigating the impacts of the Rte 18 Abington billboard. The new agreement (see above) is the result of those negotiations. 

    Public Forums 

    The Town held multiple public forums to present various proposal to resolve the issues at 611 Pleasant Street and prevent further negative impacts on the neighborhoods near the 613 billboard as well as the proposed Finnell Drive development. See below for copies of the presentations from the various public meetings:

    • Weymouth Digital Billboards: Townwide Update - January 13, 2021
    • Weymouth Digital Billboards: Proposals for Mitigation (Update) - November 18, 2020
    • Weymouth Digital Billboards: Proposals for Mitigation - November 5, 2020
    • Weymouth Digitial Billboards: Proposals for Mitigation,Town Council Presentation - November 12, 2019
    • Weymouth Digitial Billboards: Proposals for Mitigation,Town Council Ordinance Committee Presentation - November 7, 2019
    • Billboard Relocation Project Public Forum - October 1, 2019

    Other Information

    Cove Outdoor, LLC Project Updates

    0 Finnell Drive

    Light Blocking Information

    Agreements between Cove & Exisiting Billboard Landowners