Billboard Appeals Continues Between Harley Developer and Agency

An appeal in Middlesex Superior Court over the approval of an electronic billboard on the Parkway last summer continues to be in effect as the billboard developer, MetoVision, brings its case back to the Planning Board on Feb. 5.

After several hearings, the Everett Zoning Board voted last June to approve the double-sided, electronic billboard petition slated for 1760 Parkway on the Beach Generator site. However, just before the filing deadline, the developer of the new apartment building on the old Harley site filed an appeal.

Post Road Development – headed up by Andy Montilli and also known as Pioneer Property LLC – filed the appeal in Superior Court based on the fact that several of the residences in his new luxury building would have blinking, flashing advertisements about 200 feet away.

“As proposed, the electronic billboard…would stand approximately 210 feet from the face of Pioneer’s apartment building,” read the suit. “The front of the billboard would face the northwest side of Pioneer’s apartment building…The billboard would be free to blink, flash or flutter at all hours of the day or night. There is no restriction on times of use…This bright flashing billboard would severely damage the views from a significant number of the units on the northwest side of Pioneer’s building. It would also disturb the people living there, especially at nighttime. The billboard would make these affected apartment units highly undesirable for prospective tenants to rent…The value of Pioneer’s apartment building, and Pioneer Property as a whole, will sharply decline should… the electronic billboard be constructed.”

Since that filing, the billboard has been stalled in court, and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.

A spokesman for MetroVision didn’t return a request for comment this week. However, a filing for the Feb. 5 Planning Board meeting showed that they were looking to add into the existing decision a provision that would require light blocking technology on the billboard – something that could signal an agreement between the two parties.

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