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String-lighting rules sent back for more work after heated public comment in Jackson
Summary
After hours of testimony from business owners, residents and lighting experts, the planning commission continued the proposed string-lighting LDR amendment (P25-139) to a date uncertain to allow the applicant and community to resolve technical issues including curfews, lot-size normalization and enforceability.
The Jackson Planning Commission delayed action on a proposed text amendment that would open year-round use of string lighting outside the holiday window and set lumen caps and timing rules.
Staff and the applicant presented technical limits and an intent to regulate rather than prohibit string lights, but the public hearing drew sustained opposition from downtown business owners and mixed input from lighting professionals and residents.
Rick Howe, president of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, said businesses were given only weeks to respond and would oppose the draft "as currently listed," asking the commission to allow industry and the applicant time to negotiate technical language. "Allow us to work and come back with something that everybody can adopt," Howe said.
Business speakers described the winter lighting window as integral to the town’s tourist appeal and commerce; multiple retail and lodging representatives said turning lights off when stores close would reduce evening foot traffic and hurt sales. "Turning off lights when a business closes down doesn’t work," Hotel Jackson president Sadek Darwich said.
Lighting consultant Susan O'Brien warned commissioners that plug-in string lights often are nondimmable, can show visible flicker at common dimming levels and are difficult to enforce via a complaints-based system. She also noted that a 10,000-lumen site cap for nonresidential uses could permit long runs of bright string lighting if not normalized to lot size.
Proponents argued for clearer rules to limit light trespass and protect the night sky. The applicant, Sam Singer of Wyoming Stargazing, said the intent is voluntary compliance supported by clear standards and recommended technical fixes such as basing limits on area rather than per-site caps.
After public comment and commissioner questions about lot-size normalization, curfew timing and enforcement mechanisms, the commission voted to continue text amendment P25-139 to a date uncertain so the applicant and Chamber can work on technical revisions and return with a proposal that addresses safety, enforcement and business needs.
What happens next: commissioners urged working-group collaboration among staff, the applicant and business representatives to refine curfew hours, lumens-per-area metrics and enforcement language before the item returns to the commission.
