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03-27-06 Joint PC-EC Agenda AGENDA Golden Valley Planning Commission Joint Meeting with the Environmental Commission Lighting Ordinance Discussion Golden Valley City Hall, 7800 Golden Valley Road Council Conference Room Monday, March 27, 2006 6pm I. Lighting Ordinance Discussion Golden Valley Planning Commission Regular Meeting 7pm I. Approval of minutes February 27, 2006 Planning Commission Meeting II. Discussion about creating a Mixed Use land Use Category for the General land Use Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan III. Reports on meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City Council, Board of Zoning Appeals and other meetings IV. Other business V. Adjournment . . . Hey Planning 763-593-8095 I 763-593-8109 (fax) Date: March 27, 2006 To: Environmental and Planning Commissions From: Aaron Hanauer, Planning Intern Subject: Outdoor Lighting Ordinance The third joint Environmental and Planning Commission meeting to discuss a city outdoor lighting ordinance is scheduled for Monday, March 27 at 6pm. The purpose of the meeting is to receive feedback from the Environmental and Planning Commission on the following: - What is considered good and bad lighting? - What are your primary concerns with outdoor lighting and having an outdoor lighting ordinance? - What do you want addressed in an outdoor lighting ordinance? This information is important as the city moves forward in adopting an outdoor lighting ordinance. Reading materials enclosed in this packet summarize the past two joint meetings as well as provide background information on outdoor lighting. The two main sources of information were the International Dark-Sky Association and Wikipedia websites. It would be helpful if members of the commissions drove around Golden Valley and/or surrounding communities at night and provide examples of good and bad lighting, by either describing them at the meeting, bringing pictures with them, or submitting digital images by Monday afternoon to Aaron Hanauer (ahanauer@cLQolden-vallev.mn.us). Please call Aaron Hanauer, planning intern, before Monday's meeting with questions. . . . Table of Contents Meeting Summaries..................... ...... ... ........................................................................... 1 What is Light Pollution? ......... ............................ ..................... .... ................. ... ................. 2 Lig hting Issues.................................................................................................................. 2 Lamps, Fixtures, and Lenses Used in Outdoor Lighting............................................ 6 What is an Outdoor Lighting Code? ............................................................................ 11 What Makes a Lighting Code Effective? ................................................................ 11 Should a Lighting Code Limit Pole Height? ........................................................... 13 MEETING SUMMARIES AUGUST 8, 2005 JOINT EC AND PC MEETING Grimes stated that there is money in the budget for writing an outdoor lighting ordinance and the Council sees the need. Hanauer provided research found on other city outdoor lighting ordinances and provided examples of Bloomington and Plymouth. Eck noted that there is a lot of technical information in the Plymouth ordinance and asked if they have someone on staff who can analyze their development plans to make sure they meet the requirements. Rasmussen stated that there hasn't seemed to be too many huge concerns about lighting and she would be interested in knowing what some of the concerns are because she doesn't want to make it more difficult for people to do developments. OCTOBER 10, 2005 JOINT EC AND PC MEETING A joint meeting of the Planning Commission and Environmental Commission. The purpose of the meeting was to bring in other cities to talk about their experience with lighting ordinances. The Golden Valley City Code doesn't address lighting regulations and that the City Council has directed the Commissions to look at some other cities ordinances and come up with a lighting code. It was noted that lighting standards for public property can not be adopted, but a city can have a lighting policy regarding public property lighting. Guests that were present were Barb Senness, Planning Director for the City of Plymouth, Londell Pease, Associate Planner for the City of Bloomington and Mark Mlazgar, owner of R.L. Mlazgar Associates Plymouth Ordinance Plymouth used the International Darksky Association model lighting ordinance (MLO) as their base. Enforcement takes place through connection with the state inspector for rehab and new development. Plymouth requires developers to submit an as-built survey to the City as well as the state electrical inspector so they can do enforcement. 1 Remodeling projects need to comply when more than 50 percent of site is changed. Hill and . Baker had concerns about the use of wattage and that there will be brighter light as light bulbs get more efficient if the watt formula is used which would create the need to change the ordinance. Another concern is safety, and Senness mentioned that that their lighting consultant showed their police department a lot of examples of various properties which really helped them accept their ordinance Bloomington Ordinance Bloomington has had their ordinance in place for 11 years. Developers in their City can't do anything without a plan review and that they require any fixture being replaced has to be replaced with a code compliant fixture. They require that all non-essential lights be turned off one hour after a business closes. Additional Information Mark Mlazgar, owner of R.L. Mlazgar Associates stated the lighting ordinances are really dynamic, not static and need to be frequently reviewed. Two concerns from the Environmental Commission included the need that a wattage based ordinance would have to be updated as lights become more efficient and that cities seem to be reinventing the wheel with lighting ordinances. WHAT IS LIGHT POLLUTION? . Light pollution is excess or obtrusive light created by humans. Light pollution can be construed to have two main branches: (a) annoying light that intrudes on an otherwise natural.or low light setting and (b) excessive light, generally indoors, that leads to worker discomfort and adverse health effects. Since the early 1980s, a global dark-sky movement has emerged, with concerned people campaigning to reduce the amount of light pollution. Since not everyone is irritated by the same lighting sources, light pollution has a measure of subjectivity. It is common for one person's light "pollution" to be light that is desirable for another. Differences in opinion over what light is considered reasonable, and who should be responsible, means that negotiation must sometimes take place between parties. Authorities have also taken a variety of measures for dealing with light pollution, depending on the interests, beliefs and understandings of the society involved. Measures range from doing nothing at all, to implementing strict laws and regulations about how lights may be installed and used. LIGHTING ISSUES . 2 . There are a number of reasons why lighting is addressed in an ordinance. The following explains four main reasons. CLUTTER Clutter refers to excessive groupings of lights. Groupings of lights may generate confusion, distract from obstacles, including those that they may be intended to illuminate, and potentially cause accidents. Clutter is particularly noticeable on roads where the street lights are badly designed, or where brightly lit advertising surrounds the roadways. Depending on the motives of the person or organisation who installed the lights, their placement and design may even be intended to distract drivers, and can contribute to accidents. OVERILLUMINA TION Overillumination is the excess use of unnecessary light. Overillumination stems from several factors: . Improper design, especially of workplace spaces, by specifying higher levels of light than needed for a given task. . Incorrect choice of fixtures or globes, which do not direct light into areas as needed . . Improper selection of hardware to utilize more energy than needed to accomplish the lighting task. . Incomplete training of building managers and occupants to use lighting systems efficiently. . Inadequate lighting maintenance resulting in increased stray light and energy costs. . Most ofthese issues can be readily corrected with available, inexpensive technology; however, there is considerable inertia in the field of lighting design and with landlord/tenant practices that create barriers to rapid correction of these matters. Most importantly public awareness needs to improve dramatically for industrialized countries to realize the enormous payo1 . Local example of overillumination 3 GLARE . Glare is the result of excessive contrast between bright and dark areas in the field of view. For example, glare can be associated with directly seeing the filament of an unshielded or badly shielded light. Light shining into the eyes of pedestrians and drivers can obscure night vision for up to an hour after exposure. Caused by high contrast between light and dark areas, glare can also make it difficult for the human eye to adjust to the differences in brightness. Glare is particularly an issue in road safety, as bright and/or badly shielded lights around roads may partially blind drivers or pedestrians unexpectedly, and contribute to accidents. According to Bob Mizon, coordinator for the British Astronomical Association's Campaign for Dark Skies, there are three types of glare. Blinding Glare describes effects such as that caused by staring into the sun. It is completely blinding and leaves temporary vision deficiencies. Disability Glare describes effects such as being blinded by an oncoming cars brights, significant reduction in. sight capabilities. Discomfort Glare does not typically cause a dangerous situation in itself, and is annoying and irritating at best. It can potentially cause fatigue if experienced over extended periods. WASTED ENERGY Energy is wasted when light does not fall on its intended target, as when lighting . fixtures allow light to go up instead of (as is generally preferred) downward. Waste also occurs when more light is generated than needed. Local example of wasted energy . 4 . LIGHT TRESPASS Light trespass occurs when unwanted light enters one's property, for instance, by shining over a neighbor's fence. A common light trespass problem occurs when a strong light enters the window of one's home from outside, causing problems such as sleep deprivation or the blocking of an evening view. . Local example of light trespass UP LIGHTING/SKY GLOW . Sky glow refers to the "glow" effect that can be seen over populated areas. It is the combination of light reflected from what it has illuminated and from all of the badly directed light in that area, being refracted in the surrounding atmosphere. This refraction is strongly related to the wavelength of the light. Rayleigh scattering, which makes the sky appear blue in the daytime, also affects light that comes from the earth into the sky and is then redirected to become sky-glow, seen from the ground. As a result, blue light contributes significantly more to sky- glow than an equal amount of yellow light. Sky glow is of particular irritation to astronomers, because it reduces Local example of up lighting contrast in the night sky to the extent where it may even become impossible to see the brightest stars. LAMPS. FIXTURES. AND LENSES USED IN OUTDOOR LIGHTING LAMPS AND BULBS There are many types of lamps used in outdoor lighting, a much greater variety than are familiar to most lighting users. Each type has applications where it is appropriate. Lighting designers must evaluate a variety of factors when choosing lamps, including available luminous outputs, output maintenance (how the lamp's output decreases with time), efficiency, capital costs, life cycle costs, color, size, lifetime, turn-on characteristics, environmental factors such as hazardous materials and effects on wildlife, and availability of fixtures. When decisions are made about what kinds of lamps to use in a project or to require in a lighting code, a consideration of all factors, both those advantageous and disadvantageous for any given type, must be made. Below are descriptions of the principle lighting types used for outdoor area lighting and decoration. Incandescent Incandescent lamps are the lamps most familiar to homeowners; they are commonly used for the majority of residential lighting, both indoor and outdoor. They are commonly used in applications where such low outputs are needed and where the lighting is often switched off and on. More than 95% of the energy used by incandescent lamps goes into the production of heat. (It has been said that incandescent lamps are really heat sources that happen to produce a little light.) Advantages include low capital cost for lamps and luminaires, wide availability, wide variety of both lamp and fixture types, lack of a warm-up period, and lack of hazardous wastes. Disadvantages include short lifetimes (most less than a few thousand hours), low efficiency (about 8-20 lumens/watt) with resultant high per- lumen energy use and life cycle cost, attraction of insects, and high heat production. Fluorescent . . Fluorescent lamps are also seen in residential lighting, and they predominate in indoor retail and office uses, and are occasionally seen in outdoor area lighting, usually in smaller or older installations. A current-limiting device (ballast) is required to operate these lamps, but they can typically be easily and immediately . 6 . . . switched on and off like incandescent lamps, and they reach nearly full output almost immediately. Fluorescent lamps are also available in the so-called "compact" styles. These "PL" fluorescents can make highly efficient and cost- effective replacements for low-output residential lighting uses that are not too frequently cycled off and on. Outputs up to about 8000 lumens are available (about 2000 1m in "PL" styles). Advantages include low initial costs for lamps and fixtures compared with the lamp types below, low life cycle costs and high efficiency compared to incandescent (40-70 lumens/watt mean output), no warm- up period, good color rendition, and long lifetimes (10,000 - 20,000 hrs). Disadvantages include higher initial costs compared to incandescent lamps, large lamp size, low efficiency (compared to lamp types below) and poor output maintenance, attraction of insects, and potentially hazardous mercury waste. Mercury Vapor (MV) Mercury vapor lamps (sometimes called high-pressure mercury, as distinguished from fluorescent) were the first widely used high-intensity discharge (HID)lamps. Though highly efficient and long-lived compared to the incandescent lighting technology they displaced after the second World War, they have many disadvantages compared to other lighting sources available today, including low luminous efficiency, poor color rendition, and high ultra-violet output. Mercury vapor lamps have now been almost completely replaced in new applications by the more efficient metal halide .and high-pressure sodium lamps. Several lighting codes prohibit their use, though with mixed effectiveness. The technology is moribund, and not often specified for any extensive commercial or public outdoor lighting. Metal Halide (MH) Metal halide lamps are HID lamps, similar to mercury vapor lamps but with the addition of small amounts of various metallic halides, such as scandium, sodium, dysprosium, holmium and thulium iodide. A ballast is required, and full output is not reached for 2-10 minutes after power is applied. The many different varieties of metal halide lamps give a wide variety of slightly different color characteristics, though generally they are white or blue-white sources. The technology is still evolving, and new types are appearing regularly. Besides a relatively steep fall-off in intensity with time (compared to high- pressure sodium; see below), many metal halide lamps also change their color as they age. Metal halide lamps are very commonly used in commercial outdoor lighting where white light with good color rendition is required or simply desired, such as car dealer display lots, sports lighting, and service station canopies. Advantages include a wide variety of moderate to high luminous output lamps (3500 - 170,000 lumens mean output), high efficiency compared to incandescent and mercury vapor (45 - 90 lumens/watt mean), and good color rendition. Disadvantages include lower efficiency and output maintenance compared to high- and low-pressure sodium, shorter lamp lifetime compared to high-pressure sodium, color changes, ultra-violet output if not adequately filtered, and potentially hazardous mercury waste. High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) . High-pressure sodium lamps are currently the most widely used HID lamps for roadway and parking lot lighting, though in some areas metal halide is becoming more popular. Warm-up period is about 10 minutes. Advantages include a long lifetime, a wide variety of moderate to high luminous output lamps (2000 - 120,000 lumens mean output), high efficiency and good maintenance of luminous output compared to all lamp types except low-pressure sodium, moderate color rendition compared to low-pressure sodium, and wide availability and moderate cost of lamps and luminaires. Disadvantages include poorer color rendition than metal halide, fluorescent and incandescent, poorer output maintenance and efficiency than low-pressure sodium, and potentially hazardous mercury waste. Low-Pressure Sodium (LPS) . Low pressure sodium lights have low color rendition and are not common in the United States. Low-pressure sodium lighting is favored where energy consumption and costs are a major concern and where color discrimination is either not needed or is supplied by other lighting. Advantages include the highest luminous efficiency and lowest energy use, low glare associated with the. large lamps, good visibility and low scattering, minimal effects on insects and other wildlife, and lack of hazardous mercury wastes. Disadvantages include the lack of color rendition, shorter lamp lifetime and higher lamp replacement costs compared to HPS, and large lamp size in the higher output lamps. Summary of Common Outdoor Lamp Types . 8 High- Factor Incandescent Fluorescent Metal Halide Pressure Sodium Wattage 25-150 18-95 50-400 50-400 Output 210-2700 1000-7500 1900-30000 3600-46000 (lumens) Lamp Life 750-2000 10000-20000 10000-20000 18000-24000 'hours) Energy Use high medium medium low Color good good ~ood moderate Rendition . LIGHTING FIXTURES AND LENS Lighting Fixtures . Cobra head Wall pack Shoe box Halogen outdoor lamp Lenses . 9 . Full-cut off flat lens Drop lens Full-cut off verse drop-lens Full-cutoff flat lens is preferable for reducing light pollution. It ensures that light is only directed below the horizontal, which means less light is wasted through directing it outwards and upwards. Drop lens allows light to escape sideways and upwards, where it may cause problems. Most campaigners for the reduction of light pollution advocate the use of full cutoff lighting fixtures as much as possible. It is also commonly recommended that lights be spaced appropriately for maximum efficiency, and that lamps within the fixtures not be overpowered. . A full cutoff fixture, when correctly installed, reduces the chance for light to escape above the plane of the horizontal. Light released above the horizontal may sometimes be lighting an intended target, but often serves no purpose. When it enters into the atmosphere, light contributes to sky glow. Some governments and organisations are now considering, or have already implemented, full cutoff fixtures in street lamps and stadium lighting. By preventing light from escaping unnecessarily, the use offull cutoff fixtures may help to reduce sky glow. Effects of glare may also be reduced, since by their nature, full cutoff fixtures usually prevent luminaries from being directly visible. It is also commonly argued by campaigners that full cutoff fixtures are more efficient than other fixtures, since light that would otherwise have escaped into the atmosphere is instead directed towards the ground. The use of full cutoff fixtures may allow for lower powered bulbs to be used in the fixture with the same, or sometimes better effect due to being more carefully controlled. In every lighting system, some sky glow also results from light reflected from the ground. This reflection can be reduced, however, by being careful to avoid overpowering the lamp within the fixtures, and setting spacing between lights appropriately ([NYSERDA-Planners],2002). . 10 . . . . A criticism of full cutoff lighting, particularly in the USA, is that luminaires with full cutoff distributions typically have to be closer together than other light distributions used to meet the same roadway lighting requirements specified by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, of light level, uniformity and glare (Keith, Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society, 2000, 2002 and 2003). This means that using full cutoff luminaires corresponds to increased initial costs, maintenance costs, operating costs, energy use, energy pollution, and possibly light pollution, compared to using other distributions to meet the same roadway lighting requirements WHAT IS AN OUTDOOR LIGHTING CODE? An outdoor lighting code is a legal document that establishes permitted and prohibited lighting practices, with an emphasis on limiting obtrusive aspects of lighting more than an emphasis on good lighting practices per se. Most lighting codes are concerned primarily with limiting the wide-reaching effects of stray light that causes glare, light trespass, sky glow, and limits the ability of persons to use property in ways that do not want or need lighting. Lighting codes are often included as a chapter of the zoning or land-use code, though zoning codes may severely restrict enforcement options. The standards of a lighting code are applied to new construction of all kinds in much the same way as a building code, electrical code, or plumbing code, and consideration should be given to enacting the lighting code using a similar legal structure to these. Lighting codes often require some previously installed lighting to be brought into compliance immediately or at some future date. Lighting codes may be enacted at different governmental levels -- from state to county or township and city and even development project or neighborhood. State-level codes usually address only very general issues, though they may nonetheless serve a valuable role, enabling the adoption of more comprehensive codes at local levels. State-level codes also generally address lighting built with state funding, such as state highways or for state-owned facilities that are often legally exempt from local codes. They can also establish a basic code for areas of the state that do not yet have or may never have more comprehensive codes. At the development or subdivision level, lighting codes or restrictions can be included in design standards or Conditions, Covenants, and Restrictions (CC&Rs) to be applied only to the homes or developments within the subdivision. Such codes are often the most effective vehicle to address specific residential lighting issues such as shielding of low-output lighting that are often exempted in higher-level lighting codes for practical reasons. WHA T MAKES A LIGHTING CODE EFFECTIVE? 11 . The goal is the actual, real-life elimination of the adverse effects from outdoor . lighting, such as light trespass, glare, energy waste, and sky glow. A good lighting code is a vital step toward these goals, but actually achieving them requires not only a lighting code, but also effective implementation and enforcement of the code on an ongoing basis. After adoption, the code must lead to quality lighting practices in the real world or it does not accomplish anything. The actual adoption of a good lighting code for your community takes you tt'}roljgtl. ttl~JiEst steps, but other steps must be accomplished if the overall goal is to be realized. .. 1. Define the Problem In most communities, even before you can hope to draft a lighting code, an awareness of the issues and of the characteristics of quality lighting must be built. This process starts first with any group that is especially motivated or sensitive to the issues, including persons sensitive to the aesthetic character of dark skies and/or the many values of quality lighting. Through efforts at education this initial group then broadens the community's awareness, in general and especially of the legislative bodies (councils or county supervisors, for examples). Through this process a broad consensus will develop both that there is a problem and that there are effective solutions. . 2. Draft and Enact a Lighting Code Only then can the process begin to draft a code appropriate for the community, and to take this code through the process of community review, enactment, and implementation. If careful consideration is not given in these first steps to the practical issues of enforcement, adoption ofa good lighting code will not achieve the goal of quality lighting and dark skies. To have a code that will be effective requires not only careful consideration of the implications of the way the code standards are written and compliance evaluated, it also requires that awareness and interest of the community in the issues is maintained. Breakdown on these factors has been the downfall of many otherwise technically correct lighting codes. 3. Enforcement and Monitoring 4. Stay Involved! Practicality of implementation, application and enforcement are emphasized again and again in this Handbook. Definitions must be clear and understandable; rules must not only be technically correct and effective, they must also be understandable and easily interpretable and enforceable; forms for . 12 I . . . implementation and administration must be clear and understandable to lighting users, lighting designers, and planning staff. Achieving these complex and interrelated goals is challenging, but they must be successfully meshed if the community is to see real improvements. SHOULD A LIGHTING CODE LIMIT POLE HEIGHT? Some communities have specified limits on the heights of lighting poles, either through a lighting code or otherwise in development design standards. There can -be twcfli1tentions here, bUfffferesults ofsUclirestrictions may not be what is intended. If the intention is to limit the daytime visual impact of taillight poles against landscape views, then shorter poles may help, but lighting uniformity goals of the designer may offset the gains from shorter poles by causing an increase in the number of poles. More poles also are likely to cost more money to install and operate. If the intention is to limit the nightime visual impact of lights, in particular the spread of light from high luminaires into surrounding areas (light trespass), results may be much less than hoped. Again, since most area lighting has certain target uniformity levels, shorter poles will mean that more must be used, which may increase the visual impact at night as well as in the daytime. While these poles will be shorter, a community must carefully evaluate whether the trade-off of more poles might compromise the original intent to reduce visual clutter. Unfortunately, in attempts to reduce costs, some designers will avoid increasing the number of poles by using luminaires that have greater high-angle luminance, that is, luminaires that throw more light to the side. These luminaires would achieve the illuminance and uniformity specifications sought with fewer poles, but will do so at the cost of increased glare. This will lead to increased light trespass, just the opposite of what the goal may have been in restricting pole heights. Visibility is likely to be compromised as well. In general, it is not recommended that a lighting code limit pole heights. With good designs using fully shielded luminaires, poles with standard heights (up to about 11 meters or 35 feet) are in most situations minimally obtrusive. If there is trouble in your community due to unusual circumstances or practice with the use of unusually tall poles (over about 14 meters or 45 feet), then pole height restrictions may be considered to address the problem, though it is not recommended to restrict heights to much below about 8 meters (25 feet). 13