The SAAP was adopted in 2019 with the intent to allow a limited number of new billboards on Sunset Boulevard. This document replaced Chapter 8 “Billboards and Arts Advertising” of the existing Sunset Specific Plan, which was originally adopted in 1996. This new program requires all potential new billboard projects to participate in a design excellence competition process.

There were three rounds of design excellence awards: Round 1, Round 1.5, and Round 2. If a billboard project was granted a design concept award based on this competition, the owner or media company was permitted to submit an application for a new billboard.

All new billboard projects are required to give substantial community benefits, both in terms of revenue as well as improvements to the built environment of the Sunset Strip. These improvements can include meaningful improvement of the sidewalk areas and interactive spaces for those using and engaging with Sunset. The SAAP places requirements and restrictions on new billboards regarding size and brightness.

The proposed amendments you are reviewing provide additional clarity for defined terms, clarify intent and vision principles, and strengthen the standards around brightness and orientation of the new billboards. A link to the existing Sunset Arts & Advertising Policy, 2019 is here.

• Revitalization: The principal benefit of SAAP is to help revitalize the Sunset Strip. Through this program, new development and façade remodels were encouraged and this has led to several projects completely redeveloping underutilized, and sometimes deteriorating sites.
• Historic Preservation: The program encourages the designation, restoration and preservation of historic buildings. Once designated, the income from a billboard helps the property owner maintain the historic building.
• Streetscape and Public Realm: An important aspect of the program is the improved streetscape that is part of many of the projects. The goal is to create meaningful public realm enhancements that actively engage and enrich the pedestrian experience along Sunset Boulevard, providing interesting places to sit and to view and engage with streetscape elements, some of which will be interactive. Projects also contribute to capital improvement projects, such as the Sunset & La Cienega Boulevard Intersection Improvement Plan, which will improve this intersection for both the pedestrian and the motorist.
• Economic Vitality: This program helps individual property owners and business owners with additional revenue to improve and maintain their buildings and businesses, thereby encouraging economic stability and growth. Iconic businesses such as the Rainbow Bar & Grill, the Roxy Theatre, the Whisky a Go-Go nightclub, and the Comedy Store will be ensured a stable and steady income, helping to maintain these important businesses on the Strip.
• City Content & Arts Programming: Each billboard must provide a contribution of time (17.5% per hour, 10.5 minutes per hour) to city content (public City announcements and/or public art). At the top of every hour, full motion animated billboards will display ten and a half minutes of City content and/or arts programming curated by the City of West Hollywood in consultation with the City’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission. This is an important aspect of the program, helping the City achieve the goal of bringing art to everyone using Sunset Boulevard and adding to the vibrancy and aesthetics of the Sunset Strip, ensuring its importance and relevance as a world-famous destination.

1. This revised Chapter of the SSP, which implements the SAAP, was first adopted in 2019. Any new program, especially this one-of-a-kind arts and advertising program, will typically require refinements that will make it clearer for the public and the development community. In working with these off-site advertising projects over the last five years, City staff has identified areas of the Chapter that can be clarified, areas that be strengthened, and even areas that are irrelevant and can be removed. This is largely an update to the Chapter, which will make it easier and clearer for all who use it.
2. Staff has also heard the community expressing concerns over light and the brightness of the billboards. This amendment will bolster the existing lighting standards of the Chapter, to further moderate light trespass to the surrounding residential community.

The Proposed Amendments focus on:

1. Making guidelines, vision, and standards clearer for the public and applicants;
2. Clarifying the language of standards and guidelines to make them easier to understand and follow;
3. Bolstering the lighting standards with specific and measurable standards;
4. Incorporating best practices into the policy; and
5. Cleaning up typographical errors and formatting issues.

Yes, it does. While the existing billboard chapter requires that all light trespass at residentially zoned properties be limited to 1.4 foot candles, the amendment will include further restrictions on the amount and direction of luminance a billboard can emit.

Simply put, the updated policy requires that the larger the billboard, the lower its light level must be. This will address the light trespass and cumulative light along Sunset, as well as location specific light from the billboards.

The City conducted a lighting study analyzing all existing and proposed internally lit billboards on Sunset Boulevard. The recommendations from that study are being incorporated into the amended Chapter.

See the Sunset Blvd Lighting Study here.

In addition, a wildlife analysis was completed to determine if there were any potential impacts to surrounding wildlife north of Sunset Boulevard.

See the Sunset Boulevard Light Wildlife Analysis here.

Please see the map here for approved and proposed billboard projects.

You can also find all of the projects which gained design excellence awards on the City website here.