MILFORD, Del. - Homeowners are fighting plans to build two new billboards along a Sussex County highway.
Key Properties Group wants to place the billboards near the intersection of Coastal Highway/Route 1 and Wilkins Road in Milford. The land is zoned commercial.
"They're spreading and they're getting really large," said Linda Boone, president of the homeowner's association in the nearby development Meadows at Shawnee.
According to the application for a conditional use permit, one billboard would be 28-feet tall, the other would rise 45-feet.
Opponents said the stretch of road already has enough billboards; there are at least nine along the highway in the Milford area.
Boone, who lives within a mile of the proposed site, worries her property value could drop by up to $30,000 from the boards.
"Because of the economy, our homes are already devalued," Boone said.
Former mayor Dan Marabello, who lives near Boone, said billboards are hurting the city's image.
"I want the city to look attractive in every possible way," Marabello said. "I don't think billboards add to that attractiveness."
A representative from Key Properties could not be reached Wednesday, despite numerous attempts.
In a letter to the city, Dale McCalister ,of First State Signs, said the billboards are the best use of the land given the current economic climate. McCalister is listed as the contact on the application but declined comment on the project.
Billboards are limited to "C-3" commercial zoning with a conditional use permit, said City Manager Richard Carmean. The city adopted its current regulations in 2010, piggybacking off the state's rules. The adoption ended a moratorium on billboards that lasted more than two years, said Carmean.
The city's planning commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of the project during its meeting on Jan. 17, 2012. Over the telephone, Chairman Charles Rini said the project falls within guidelines.
Rini questioned whether Boone and her neighbors would be able to see the new billboards because of an existing overpass linking Route 1 with Rehoboth Boulevard.
Boone said that is not the point.
"Next time, it could be in my backyard or my neighbor's and that's going to impact our values," said Boone.
The Milford City Council will have to decide the matter. A vote has not been set.
Plans call for two billboards near Coastal Highway and Wilkins Road in Milford, Del. (Photo: WBOC)
