Sacramento city council approves new digital billboards tied to railyards stadium deal
Work is continuing in Downtown Sacramento on building a new soccer stadium for the Republic FC, which is scheduled to open in 2027. But some people are protesting one of the ways that the new stadium is being funded.
A battle over adding new billboards is brewing in the area.
"It's being pushed through very quickly, and there's this lack of scrutiny and lack of transparency," said Aamir Deen, president of Local 49.
Developers want to install two new electronic signs in the railyards along Interstate 5, where up to 200,000 cars pass by each day. Each double-sided digital billboard will be 48 feet wide and placed on a 100-foot-tall pole.
Nancy Williams lives in one of the new railyards apartment buildings.
"I think it's going to be quite bright," Williams said.
The biggest opposition is over how the billboard revenue will be spent.
Even though the city owns the land, it won't get any of the advertising money. All revenue will be given to the private group redeveloping the railyards.
"These billboard leases are a giant hidden subsidy for the railyards developers," Deen said.
Other billboards on city property generate about $180,000 a year, but how much these signs will earn is not being publicly released.
"It's absurd to vote on this billboard deal without even knowing what you're giving away," Williams said.
Opponents include Deen's union, which represents hospitality workers. They want a portion of the money to go towards building more affordable housing in the railyards.
"My members really struggle to live downtown, live where they work," Deen said.
The rights to install new billboards are part of the city's agreement with Republic FC, which plans on investing an estimated $325 million towards building a new soccer stadium and an entertainment venue inside the historic central shops building.
"If they do not move forward, then there's no longer rights for any billboards," said Marco Gonzalez, project manager for the City of Sacramento. "That's written into the lease."
Supporters say the redevelopment is a catalyst that will help transform the central city.
City councilmembers ultimately voted 8 to 1 to approve the new billboard agreement.
"We're finally, after 40 years, developing the largest infill site in America," Mayor Kevin McCarty said. "That's a big deal."
Three additional billboards are planned for the railyards district, and those would need to get separate approval before being built.