The city has delivered its ultimatum to Lamar Advertising — remove the Sprint banner from the former Bayer Co. sign atop Mount Washington by 5 p.m. Monday.
City Solicitor Lourdes Sanchez-Ridge set the deadline in a letter to the company Wednesday after the zoning board of adjustment ruled last week that the vinyl banner advertisement violated the law.
It could set up another showdown between the city and Lamar, which has not said whether it will remove the gold banner with black lettering proclaiming, “Pittsburgh WINS with Black & Yellow.”
Jonathan Kamin, Lamar’s attorney, could not be reached for comment.
He said Wednesday the company was exploring its options, adding that “Lamar must protect its property and constitutional rights.”
The zoning board last week denied a protest appeal filed by Lamar after the law department in June ordered the banner removed.
Board members, appointed by Mayor Bill Peduto, found that the installation of the 7,200-square-foot vinyl static advertising sign as a replacement for a nonconforming 4,500-square-foot electronic sign violated a section of the city zoning code which states that nonconforming signs “may not be enlarged, added to or replaced by another nonconforming sign or by a nonconforming use or structure.”
Mr. Peduto has called the banner, affixed to one of the city’s most prominent and historic advertising spaces, an “eyesore” and an “illegal piece of vinyl on our hillsides.”
Kevin Acklin, chief of staff to Mr. Peduto, said the city remains hopeful that Lamar and Sprint “will do the right thing and comply with the law.” But if they refuse, the city “would have no choice but to take further action to enforce the zoning ruling.”
“It’s just an unfortunate situation where you have a company like Lamar and Sprint, who are not only blatantly going outside the bounds of very clear city laws, but in the same breath trashing our hillsides.”
Nonetheless, the city welcomes further conversations with Lamar to resolve the dispute, he said.
Lamar does have the option of appealing the zoning board ruling, but Mr. Peduto didn’t seem to be fazed by that possibility, saying “they can go to court, but it’s crystal clear that that sign is illegal.”
Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262. Staff writer Adam Smeltz contributed to this story.
First Published: February 23, 2017, 8:50 p.m.