Trustees review draft outdoor‑illumination text amendment to extend dark‑sky rules villagewide; staff to reconcile engineering notes

The Village Board reviewed proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance’s outdoor illumination standards intended to extend the dark‑sky provisions the board adopted for a recent planned unit development (PDD) to the whole village.

Planning staff said the Planning and Zoning Commission held the required public hearing and recommended the amendment. The village engineer flagged two items for staff consideration: updating the street‑lighting language to reflect LED fixtures and adjusting the permitted seasonal decoration timeframes so village decorations are not out of compliance due to weather delays.

Staff explained that existing fixtures would generally be grandfathered; properties would not be required to retrofit existing outdoor lighting unless they replace fixtures or apply for new permits that trigger compliance. Trustees discussed how the ordinance would interact with the engineering manual and permitting, whether decorative pedestrian fixtures are exempt, and how to handle seasonal displays and complaints.

Trustees asked staff to return with clarified language about grandfathering, a consistent street‑lighting provision that matches the village’s ongoing LED conversions, and a clearer limit on seasonal displays (staff suggested modest extensions to accommodate weather delays). The board did not adopt the text amendment at the meeting but directed staff to make the technical edits and bring a revised draft for formal action.