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Board forms ad hoc panel to review downtown rooftop‑lighting rules, staff to draft ordinance changes
Summary
The Historic Preservation Board on Feb. 4 agreed to form an ad hoc subcommittee and directed staff to draft changes that would move downtown rooftop-lighting rules into the historic preservation ordinance and tighten allowable durations for colored rooftop lighting.
The Historic Preservation Board spent an extended portion of its Feb. 4 meeting discussing proposed ordinance changes that would move downtown rooftop-lighting rules out of the sign ordinance and into the historic preservation ordinance, shorten the permitted duration for colored rooftop lighting, and require clearer permitting and enforcement.
Mary (staff) explained the draft approach: remove downtown rooftop lighting from the general sign ordinance, place it in the historic preservation ordinance for downtown, limit colored rooftop lighting to 30 days per recognized display (down from the current 90 days), and require that lighting be returned to white within 10 days after the event or holiday. She also said that if lights are installed without a certificate of appropriateness (COA), the ordinance would include a penalty provision similar to other violations in the code.
Board members raised practical and constitutional questions during the discussion: how to define a "holiday" or "event" for purposes of the rule, how staff would monitor timing and color (staff noted limited ability to measure lumens or enforce intensity), whether interior window lighting is within jurisdiction (the board said it is not), and whether cafe/table lighting and inflatable internally lit decorations should be addressed. Mary said rooftop lighting would be limited to the roofline (not window frames) and that attorneys would review the draft language before formal submittal.
Several board members volunteered to form an ad hoc subcommittee to draft recommendations and review the old sign ordinance language; Mary indicated she would participate with the subcommittee. The board discussed a target timeline to bring recommended language back to the full board by May. Members also discussed the possibility of city contributions to help standardize downtown lighting and examples of other towns with uniform lighting.
The board did not take a final vote on ordinance text at this meeting; instead it directed staff and the ad hoc subcommittee to develop proposed amendments for attorney review and return to the board for action.
