Alma parking lot lighting update: staff recommends two luminaires, photometrics and neighbor-sensitive mounting

City staff briefed the Webster Groves Business District Commission on lighting options for the Alma public parking lot and recommended using two 20-foot luminaires to achieve acceptable photometric coverage.

Staff reported the bollard lights in the lot have been remounted but that overhead illumination currently leaves dark areas; consultant photometrics indicate two poles, staggered across the lot, will provide more complete coverage than a single pole. Staff said the chosen fixtures can be controlled with timers or motion detection and emphasized the need to control backlighting and glare toward neighboring residences.

Commissioners and staff discussed options to limit light intrusion, including locating poles closer together on a single conduit run, using lower poles because of nearby tree canopy and grade changes, and aiming fixtures so light dies out before it reaches adjacent homes. Staff said fixture selection could favor a dark-sky-compatible distribution and that additional photometric work is needed to meet commercial parking minimum foot-candle requirements.

Cost estimates, funding sources and final pole selection were not finalized at the meeting. Staff said the lot is publicly owned and that the city could propose the work as a project to be funded; no construction funding was adopted at the meeting. Staff will return with photometrics and budget estimates for further consideration.