Pittsburgh City Council President Doug Shields said today that council will review a decision by city planners to permit a 1,200-square-foot LED sign on a Downtown garage and bus station that's still under construction.

He said he did not believe the sign is allowed under the zoning code without votes of oversight bodies, perhaps including the Zoning Board of Adjustment, the City Planning Commission, and possibly council. "We'll start looking into it and decide what can be done," he said.

"Would I vote to change the code to allow this type of thing Downtown? Yes, I would," he said. "But that's for [council] to decide."

Mr. Shields was responding to news that Zoning Administrator Susan Tymoczko had unilaterally given the Pittsburgh Parking Authority the go-ahead for the advertising sign on the Grant Street Transportation Center, which will include a 1,050-space parking garage and Greyhound Lines bus station. A sign that size and at a cost of well more than $50,000 normally would require votes by the zoning and planning panels, but the application was not sent to them.

The decision to approve the sign, backed by Urban Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Pat Ford, was made as part of a deal with Lamar to remove six traditional billboards from the area. Ms. Tymoczko said today that those billboards are at 2200 Smallman St.; 36 and 1101 11th St.; and 929, 1108 and 1139 Penn Ave. They total 1,400 square feet, according to figures she provided.

Councilwoman Tonya Payne, who represents Downtown, said she hasn't heard any complaints about the planned sign. "I'm all right with it," she said.

Councilman William Peduto said he has problems with the process. "There are strict rules that need to be followed with any type of signage, especially Downtown, and those rules seem to have been ignored," he said. He added that the authority should have competitively bid the billboard, rather than negotiating a deal with Lamar.

Mr. Ford said yesterday that in addition to winning Lamar's agreement to remove six billboards in return for the single electronic display, he "strong-arrmed" the firm into agreeing to include neighborhood messages in its rotation of ad images.

"I like the idea," said Becky Rodgers, executive director of Neighbors in the Strip, a group representing the nearby Strip District. "'Welcome to the Strip' would be a great thing for us."

Mr. Shields said he would like "a little bit of a Times Square-ish look" near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, but wants to ensure that process is respected.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.