By Dianna M. Náñez | The Republic | azcentral.com
Billboards along streets in Tempe are considered illegal signs, but two CBS Outdoorowned billboards are going up along the frontage road of Loop 101 near Rio Salado Parkway.
Tempe officials have long fought to rid the interior of the city of hulking billboards, saying that residents have complained about the “eyesores.”
It appears the freeway billboards are being posted in Tempe as part of a deal to encourage CBS Outdoor to take down billboards it operates along streets in the city.
“Per the development agreement, CBS Outdoor has to remove billboards in the interior of the city, and in exchange for that, they will be allowed to replace the billboards with billboards along freeways in the city of Tempe,” said Tempe development director David Nakagawara.
But Tempe resident David Enriquez said that he was surprised to see the billboards going up near his small business.
“If they’re illegal in the city, if we don’t want them in our city, then why are they OK on the freeway?” Enriquez said in an interview with The Arizona Republic.
