Jackson planning commission backs shielding and color limits for new exterior lights, delays string‑lighting rules

Jackson planning commissioners recommended the town council approve changes to the Land Development Regulations that would require new exterior fixtures to be fully shielded and clarify color (Kelvin) limits, but they postponed action on a separate, more detailed proposal to regulate string lights.

The commission’s recommendation Friday follows more than two hours of staff briefing, an applicant presentation and extensive public comment from business owners, residents and a lighting consultant. Planning staff said measured increases in local light pollution between 2022 and 2024 prompted the changes and that the amendments aim to balance dark‑sky preservation with economic vitality.

The staff presentation said Amendment p25‑234 would prohibit unshielded exterior fixtures for new development and redevelopment (not retroactive), retain a 3,000‑Kelvin cap for color temperature and add language to capture single‑color and filtered lights that might evade existing correlated color temperature rules. The recommendation includes a narrowly drawn Town Square exemption: town‑operated square lighting could remain on until 2 a.m. where the police department has identified safety needs, provided that lighting is then extinguished until the pre‑sunrise period.

“Chief Weber provided a letter noting safety concerns in Town Square,” planning staff said; the staff package and proposed edits would preserve the ice‑skating rink and other town‑operated uses while tightening standards for new fixtures.

The applicant, Samuel Singer, founder and executive director of I’m Stargazing, told the commission his intent is to find practical standards rather than prohibit string lights outright. “Voluntary compliance is the only way that we are going to meet our dark sky goals in years to come,” Singer said, urging limits on lumens, clear curfews and permit‑level enforcement for new development.

Public comment split along predictable lines. Rick Howe, president and CEO of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, urged the commission to delay action and work with businesses, saying the town’s winter lighting drives tourism and sales tax receipts. “You can come here, but you won’t be able to walk around or see anything,” Howe said of the draft string‑lighting window that would narrow holiday illumination.

Local retailers and hoteliers said tasteful string lighting supports window‑shopping and late‑night pedestrian activity. “Protect our dark skies without dimming the heart of Jackson Hole,” Sadik Darwish, president of Flixel Jackson, told the commission.

By contrast, lighting consultant Susan O’Brien — who identifies herself as a lighting professional and said she supplied fixtures for major retailers — supported banning unshielded fixtures and restricting blue, green and purple single‑color sources, but she urged denial or reworking of the string‑lighting proposal. O’Brien warned that year‑round permission for string lights would increase light pollution, that many commercial string lights are nondimmable (making curfew and dimming rules unenforceable), and that cheap LEDs raise health and wildlife concerns including invisible flicker and low color‑rendering index.

Commissioners acknowledged the competing priorities. Several members said they favored moving forward on the shielding and color clarifications — rules that attach to fixtures installed through the permitting process and thus are easier to verify — while postponing more complex operational rules about string lights (lumens per site, curfew hours, dimming and lot‑size equity). One commissioner said the shielding amendment is the place to get “the most bang for our buck” to protect dark skies and wildlife without immediately disrupting existing businesses.

The planning commission moved to recommend approval of text amendment p25‑234 to the town council; the motion passed and will be transmitted with staff findings. On the related string‑lighting amendment (p25‑139), the commission voted to continue the item to a date uncertain to give the applicant, the Chamber and other stakeholders time to resolve technical questions about curfew hours, lumens allocation by lot size, enforceability and public‑safety tradeoffs.

Staff said the proposed shielding/color changes would apply to new development and redevelopment only and would not be retroactive; existing nonconforming fixtures may remain until replaced under LDR section 1.9.6. Commissioners and several public commenters suggested the town pair code edits with public education, a possible community lighting guide and technical assistance (for example, smart dimmer plugs) to promote voluntary compliance.

The planning commission’s recommendations will go to the town council for final consideration; the string‑lighting amendment will return to the commission after further stakeholder work.