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Residents press code office to measure bright commercial lighting on Washington Street
Summary
Neighbors complained that bright perimeter lighting and blinking neon at a Washington Street retail/residential property flood nearby homes with glare; staff committed to provide measurements after a nighttime inspection and to return enforcement options to the committee.
Residents told the Smart Growth Committee that a Washington Street commercial property installed perimeter lighting in November that now floods adjacent homes with glare at dusk and into the evening.
Lola Birkenstock (309 West Washington Street) said the lights "surround the entire perimeter of the building" and that reflections "come into our house" at dusk; she provided videos to staff and asked the code office to inspect the property at night. Several neighbors showed photos of blinking neon and window signs that they say exceed window-coverage rules.
Eric (staff) reviewed the zoning provisions that apply: environmental controls (112-809 F2) require that flood or high-intensity lighting in residential districts be located so glare at a receiving lot line does not exceed one foot-candle, and the sign rules prohibit blinking signs and limit window coverage to 50%. Eric said foot-candle measurement at the curb is the typical enforcement tool and that sign rules are already tightly specified.
Director Aaron Fluke told the committee he will not send code officers into the field alone after dark for safety reasons but that he would personally visit the site during night hours (he scheduled a visit for Friday or Monday between about 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.) to measure and document compliance. Staff said they will return to the committee with measured foot-candle readings and recommended enforcement steps if the installation exceeds ordinance limits.
Staff and residents also discussed the limits imposed by nonconforming (grandfathered) installations: if the current lighting complied with the code at the time it was installed and remains nonconforming, ordinance changes may not require removal of existing installations but could prevent similar future installations.
The committee asked staff to collect exhibits, take measurements at the receiving lot line, and provide a clear problem statement and enforcement options for legal review.
