Atlanta to Create New Downtown Sign District

"[T]he Atlanta City Council voted to ease restrictions on downtown signage, clearing the way for billboard companies and downtown businesses to put up more of the digital displays," reports Justin Wilfon.

The likely arrival of new billboards is a controversial proposition, notes Wilfon. Central Atlanta Progress is the group behind the new approach to billboards, and the idea obviously has effective political support. According to a separate article by Rachel Dovey, Central Atlanta Progress is a private nonprofit with ties to the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District.

"The digital signs are for advertising, but revenue is slated to go toward funding public art and entertainment, WABE reports. The Atlanta Downtown Improvement District will manage them," adds Dovey.

According to an in-depth article by Stephannie Stokes, the City Council has approved a plan to "create a new Arts and Entertainment District that would allow dynamic, LED signs downtown — similar to those in New York City’s Times Square or Denver’s Theatre District." The plan's backers hope the new district will contribute a sense of vibrancy perceived as lacking from Downtown Atlanta.