Billboards come down
in Mayfair

By Lauren Fritsky
Times Staff Writer

It took a while for them to notice, but a local anti-blight group has confirmed the removal of several illegal billboards atop a building at 7033-49 Frankford Ave.
The Society Created to Reduce Urban Blight, or SCRUB, was surprised to hear of the billboards’ elimination, which was ordered by a Commonwealth Court panel in December.
"We have no idea what the impetus was," said SCRUB executive director Mary Tracy. "We have other cases that we’ve won, and those signs are still up."
The court ruling against Clear Channel Outdoor had not established a final date for the billboards’ removal, which community members say actually took place more than a month ago.
The effort to dislodge the signs began five years ago with the urging of the Mayfair Community Development Corporation and City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski (D-6th dist.), who said the billboards tarnished the aesthetic appeal of their neighborhood.
George Kauker, president of Clear Channel’s Philadelphia market, said the advertising company could have appealed the Commonwealth Court order to remove the Frankford Avenue signs but decided against it.
"Although we had the right to appeal, we agreed to remove the signs . . . out of respect to the neighbors," Kauker said.
The company also took it upon itself to pay for the removal of 900 small "8-sheet" signs attached to buildings across the city that it does not own. The removal was ordered as part of an agreement the city forged last year that requires billboard companies to annually submit inventories of their signs in exchange for a gradual decrease in the cost to license them.
"It will definitely improve quality of life for the community," Kauker said of the 8-sheets’ removal.
SCRUB had filed litigation against the city agreement, contending that the arrangement allows companies to legalize illegal signs, but a federal court ruling recently denied the group standing in the case. ••
Reporter Lauren Fritsky can be reached at 215-354-3038 or lfritsky@phillynews.com