BIG Owner Shares Thoughts As Billboard Vote Looms

Thaddeus Bartkowski, owner of Bartkowski Investment Group’s (BIG), shares his views with Patch as the Haverford Township Zoning Hearing Board will decide the fate of the billboard controversy at Thursday night's meeting. 

The controversy started nearly three years ago when BIG wanted to have five 672-square-foot billboards placed in Haverford Township—two of the billboards would be located along Lancaster Avenue in Haverford Township overlooking Bryn Mawr in Lower Merion Township, and three signs along West Chester Pike in Haverford Township. 

However, Haverford Township has an ordinance that bans billboards within the township, but in an interview with Patch Wednesday afternoon, Bartkowski said that the ordinance is unconstitutional and goes against the commonwealth’s constitution, which Marc Kaplin, BIG’s attorney, has been maintaining during the zoning hearing board’s hearings.

“We believe that over the last two years of hearings that we have demonstrated that Haverford's ordinance that excludes billboards is constitutionally defective,” Bartkowski stated.

The Key Points of the Debate

However, Haverford Township Solicitor Jim Byrne and Lower Merion Township Solicitor Bill Kerr have both maintained in that the state constitution is in favor of the ordinance and have also used in their arguments that billboards can cause a distraction and have been known to fall down.

is that anything can cause a driver to be distracted while driving his or her vehicle and that just because a billboard falls down does not mean that all of them do.

In addition, many residents have taken issue with the billboard proposals. Sandi Donato, of the No Billboards coalition, to the Zoning Hearing Board during closing arguments that it uses its “… logic and common sense to guide you in the conclusions that these billboards are a public safety hazard, are inappropriate for the sites proposed and should be excluded altogether ...”

With so much passion on both sides of the issue, the zoning hearing board has to weigh its decisions based off of the testimony of experts that have been presented, the township ordinance, the commonwealth’s constitution and even the rulings of the Pennsylvania’s State Supreme Court, among other things.

And Bartkowski feels that these things will be in his favor when the board voices its decision at its Thursday evening, Feb. 15 meeting at the Haverford Township Building.

“We would like to think that the Haverford ZHB would render a decision that is consistent with over 80 years PA Supreme Court precedent and find that the ordinance is unenforceable,” he stated.

However, if the zoning hearing board does not rule in BIG’s favor, Bartkowski stated that he has an alternative plan.

“In the event the ZHB comes to a different conclusion we will pursue our remedies on appeal,” he explained.

Bartkowski's Thoughts on Lower Merion's Billboard

Bartkowski also commented on the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas ruling that denied a request to keep a billboard in Bryn Mawr.

Lower Merion Township issued billboard company AdSmart Outdoor Advertising, Inc., a zoning violation in 2010, which the group appealed in November of that year. AdSmart shares the same owners as Bartkowski Investment Group.

"The wallscape in Lower Merion has been in existence for almost 100 years with a validly issued permit dating back to 1926 and we believe ultimately that the court will recognize this reality," Bartkowski stated, mentioning that there are plans to appeal the decision.

He did not comment about any possible proposed billboard applications being filed for the region.

Danielle Vickery contributed to this report.