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Wildwood planning commission studies electronic message centers, consultant urges strict brightness, timing limits
Summary
City planning staff and a signage consultant presented electronic message center (EMC) design options and recommended limits — including a 0.3 foot‑candle nighttime illumination cap, automatic dimming and potential time curfews — as the commission weighs whether to permit such signs and which entities should be allowed to use them.
Wildwood planning staff and an industry consultant laid out technical standards and policy options June 25 as the Planning and Zoning Commission continued a work session on electronic message centers, or EMCs, saying strict limits and automation are key if the city allows them.
The presentation walked commissioners through how EMC brightness is measured, why daytime and nighttime settings must differ, and which uses the city might permit. The department said the city, an economic development committee of the city council and the consultant have been working in parallel; the committee advised restricting EMCs to entities with taxing authority such as municipal governments, school districts and fire districts.
Consultant Randy Birkhead (lighting consultant, Reed & Birkhead Lighting Design) described two measurement approaches — illuminance in foot‑candles and luminance in candelas per square meter (nits) — and recommended a commonly used standard that EMCs not increase on‑site illuminance by more than 0.3 foot‑candle in dark‑adapted viewing conditions. "You can't be above 3 tenths of a foot candle in dark adapted conditions," Birkhead said, explaining how an inspector would measure a sign's off/on difference with an illuminance meter. He also advocated automatic dimming (photocells, astronomical clocks or fade transitions) so a sign reduces output at night and increases during daylight.
Joe Newberry, planning staff, told the commission the department expects to return with a formal recommendation in July unless the commission requests additional work sessions. Commissioners asked for specifics on curfew hours, fade rates, enforcement and whether churches or other non‑taxing entities would be eligible. Birkhead said curfews vary by community but noted "10:00 is a pretty good cutoff," adding that some municipalities use later weekend hours. He also described typical enforcement measures — in‑field illuminance testing with tripod‑mounted meters and preset sign defaults — and recommended that signs default to the lowest output if a control fails.
The consultant and staff discussed how EMC design interacts with lighting zone categories (LZ0–LZ4) used in dark‑sky planning; Birkhead suggested an "LZ0‑asterisk" designation for inherently dark areas of Wildwood that would require lower thresholds. Commissioners raised operational questions such as inspection frequency, maintenance contracts and the cost of required controls; Birkhead offered to provide cost examples to the department for comparison of basic photocell systems versus automated dimming presets.
The commission did not vote on allowed uses or on specific limits. Commissioner Clayton moved — and the commission later agreed by voice vote — to schedule a third work session in July to continue the discussion. Staff said the department will prepare a recommendation that incorporates the consultant's technical guidance, the economic development committee's suggestion to limit use to taxing entities, and the commission's feedback.
The work session also included a brief overview of conventional sign regulations and a reminder that the planning department has compiled prior discussion materials and sample ordinances for commissioners to review before the next session.
