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Resident urges South Burlington to adopt model lighting standards; staff to pursue broader update next year
Summary
A resident urged the commission to adopt the Illuminating Engineering Society model lighting ordinance (dark‑sky aligned) to modernize the city’s outdated outdoor lighting rules; staff said the topic is large and will be scheduled for a multi‑month update next year.
A longtime resident and commenter urged the Planning Commission to adopt updated outdoor‑lighting standards based on the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) model lighting ordinance, arguing Vermont communities are behind best practices and that the state could benefit from a common model.
Donna, a resident/commenter, told the commission that South Burlington’s current definitions and lighting rules date back to the 1990s and lack clear lumen limits and fixture definitions. “You basically would have allowed the same lighting here that you have at FedEx in Newark Airport,” Donna said, recounting a recent example where excessive luminaires were proposed elsewhere.
Staff acknowledged the issue and said the model ordinance would be a substantial task because lighting intersects other standards (e.g., roadway lighting, shared‑use paths, energy codes). Planning staff said they circulated the proposal internally to Development Review and Public Works and concluded that the work is too large for the current LDR package; they recommended pursuing a focused lighting modernization effort in the coming year.
The resident and staff also noted that the model lighting ordinance enables municipalities to set lighting zones (0–4) and lumen caps, and that examples exist in other Vermont towns with observatories or active dark‑sky programs. Staff said they will gather examples, evaluate administrative impacts and return with a proposed work plan and timeline as part of broader regulatory maintenance.
