Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
“Titan Worldwide, tear down these billboards!” B.P. Molinaro slams outdoor ad company’s Richmond Terrace signs as ‘act of arrogance’
Molinaro cracks down on illegal outdoor ads with tough new regulations
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Borough President James P. Molinaro today slammed outdoor ad company giant Titan Worldwide for its “act of arrogance” in erecting billboards illegally on private property on Richmond Terrace, and vowed to have the structures promptly removed.
“It’s an act of arrogance to put billboards on private property without permission of the owner, which in this case happens to be the City,” said Molinaro.
In a letter to Titan’s Real Estate Manager James Manfredi, Molinaro wrote: “In my July 27, 2005 correspondence to you, I asked for any relevant information from Titan concerning permits for a small number of Titan billboards. Since I have yet to receive any acknowledgement or response, this letter is to inform you that I am moving forward. I have contacted the Parks Department, requesting that the illegal billboards on this publicly-owned piece of real estate be promptly removed. In addition, I am contacting the companies that are advertised on the boards, informing them that they are paying for a service on an illegal structure.”
An inspection by the Department of Buildings found that the two billboards, as well as two other Titan signs on a nearby Richmond Terrace lot owned by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, were erected without a permit; currently have no permit to remain there, and are in violation of zoning regulations.
City regulations prohibit commercial billboards within 200 feet of an arterial highway or public park, including signs that appear on building facades and scaffolding. Under a tough new
Buildings Department law, all outdoor advertising companies are required to register with the agency and list all billboards within 900 feet of an arterial highway or 200 feet of a park. Signs found in violation will have to be altered or torn down. Companies that ignore removal orders face stiff fines of up to $25,000 a day.
Molinaro said his office has begun comparing the Buildings Department’s list of permitted billboards with “my list of locations that have what I consider to be some of the most egregious examples of visual pollution. This comparative analysis gives me a better understanding of billboards that have no permit.
“In the next few months, my office will be sending out additional notifications to all relevant parties, and we’ll be asking the Buildings Department for further inspections of what our records indicate are illegal billboards that negatively affect the quality of life of the surrounding community,” Molinaro added.
“Illegal billboards are environmental pollution, no different than illegal dumping or graffiti,” Molinaro continued. “What makes illegal billboards particularly loathsome is that people profit from them, and the owners absorb the fines as just the cost of doing business.
“Staten Island’s appearance has greatly improved since 1990, when the Borough President’s Office initiated a series of clean-up programs,” Molinaro concluded. “To date, we have removed more than 100 illegal billboards, and we will continue to press legal action to rid ‘The Borough of Parks’ of this visual pollution.”
February 20, 2007