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Committee approves lighting standards for Lone Mountain and La Madre Foothills; 11 p.m. shutoff raises questions
Summary
The recommending committee approved a text amendment (bill 2024-44) to set exterior lighting standards for CV-zoned properties in the Lone Mountain and La Madre Foothills areas, including a 4,000K limit and a shutoff requirement for fixtures on buildings taller than 35 feet between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.; the bill advances to council Feb. 5.
The Las Vegas recommending committee on Jan. 13 moved forward a text amendment to LVMC 19 to establish exterior lighting standards in commercial-village (CV) zoning areas within the Lone Mountain and La Madre Foothills neighborhoods. The committee approved bill 2024-44, which the sponsor described as aligning lighting measures with the Las Vegas 2050 master plan.
Marco Velada, City of Las Vegas Department of Community Development, described the measure: "Lighting shall not exceed 4,000 kelvin... Fixtures on buildings greater than 35 feet must be shut off between 11 PM and 5 in the morning. Fixtures are required to have internal and or external shielding at varying angles depending on the height." The ordinance applies to nonresidential development's parking areas, buildings and architectural elements within the defined areas and excludes emergency lighting and aircraft warning beacons.
During public comment, resident Eugene Yazzie asked whether religious facilities have exemptions and why the shutoff time is 11 p.m. rather than earlier. Velada and staff said the bill contains no specific religious exemption and that the normal variance process remains available for projects seeking deviations. "In our research, I believe we didn't find anything that, that, specifically exempted any religious facility... There's a normal variance process," Marco Velada said. Planning staff said the 11 p.m. cutoff was the time most commonly requested at a prior public town hall and by commenters.
The planning commission approved the text amendment as a prior matter on Nov. 12, 2024, staff noted. The recommending committee voted to send bill 2024-44 to the Feb. 5, 2025 city council meeting for final consideration.
Ending: The amendment applies only in the two northwestern areas named in the 2050 plan; residents and developers seeking alternative schedules or exemptions were directed to the variance process and to raise technical questions at the council hearing on Feb. 5.
