Sign of the Times at Gallery Place

Even More Electronic Billboards Planned for Chinatown Area.

Grabbing your eye is their goal. Every year they get more dazzling than before. They are high-tech billboards and soon even more could be at every angle you walk, drive and simply gaze at Gallery Place in northwest Washington. Over the next few months, Orange Barrel Media plans to add eight full-motion LED screens to the already abundant marketing bonanza tucked between Chinatown and the Verizon Center.

According to a report in the Washington Business Journal, Orange Barrel Media wants six of the new high-tech billboards to be street kiosks. Two other billboards would be 45-feet-tall signs attached to a condominium complex. While it might be good for some company’s bottom line, the impact on the neighborhood may not sparkle as bright for some.

StopTheBillboard.org is a website started by a condo resident in the area. It bashes the plan for more signs at Gallery Place and even includes a petition for D.C. officials.

Those opposed could face an uphill battle. The company behind the billboards has the support of two important neighborhood groups thanks to some financial compensation according to the WBJ article. The Gallery Place Residents Association and the Chinatown Community Cultural Center have approved the plan for the signs.

Making the new flashy signs a reality at Gallery Place is now up to those in the D.C. Office of Planning.