Vienna consultants recommend shielding, property-line limits and dimming tools in draft lighting ordinance

Consultants from Clanton & Associates told the Vienna Town Council on April 21 that the town’s draft outdoor-lighting ordinance should emphasize where light goes and not just how much is produced.

At a joint work session with the Planning Commission, Dane Sanders, principal at Clanton, said “more light doesn’t necessarily mean better light,” and urged the town to prioritize shielding, optics and distribution to reduce glare and light trespass.

The consultant team described a two-part deliverable: zoning ordinance language and user-friendly implementation tools, including a compliance form and short design guides for the Board of Architectural Review. Kate McBride, the project planner on the engagement, said the ordinance will target privately owned lighting (facade, parking and landscape lighting) and exclude street lights in the public right of way, which are handled by VDOT and utilities.

Survey results presented by the consultants showed mixed aesthetic preferences but a clear local concern about light trespass: roughly half of respondents rated light pollution as “very important.” Staff and commissioners argued for objective enforcement metrics such as a property-line foot‑candle limit or handheld meter checks paired with an amortization period for existing fixtures.

David Levy, the town’s director of planning and zoning, cautioned that any proposed code must be reviewed for compliance with Virginia law under the Dillon Rule before being presented for adoption. He said staff will work with the town attorney to make sure proposed standards are supportable.

Next steps: consultants will fold tonight’s feedback into a 75% draft this summer and work with staff on compliance tools, with the council targeting further consideration later in the year.