City accelerates residential streetlight installs after switch to solar; council asks for strategic prioritization

Amin Thomas, director of Development Services, updated the committee on the city's residential streetlight gap program, which began in FY22 to address illumination shortfalls on older neighborhood streets.

Thomas said the city analyzed 3,292 miles of residential streets and identified the need for 4,275 additional lights. To date the city has received $13,880,000 for the program and has roughly $5,078,000 remaining. The mayor and council approved a $5,000,000 allocation in the current budget to install about 500 new lights this year; staff said solar fixtures have sped installations to about a month per site compared with a six‑month timeline for wired installations.

Council members asked for district‑level lists of planned installs, asked staff to prioritize hot‑spot areas identified by public safety partners, and discussed whether the Unified Development Code's spacing standard (codified minimum 300 feet / maximum 600 feet) should be revisited for specific places like school corridors. Staff said six wired locations remain pending and that the program will continue primarily with solar lights; they agreed to provide maps showing planned installs by district and to overlay crime hot‑spot data for prioritization.

Members also raised concerns about balancing community preferences (some neighborhoods oppose additional lighting) and dark‑sky/sustainability considerations; staff said they can return in January with additional prioritization options and a district briefing schedule.