Topgolf amends lighting plan after field tests; Parsippany board approves with conditions

Parsipany Developers LLC, the operator of the Topgolf entertainment venue on Route 46, received approval June 17 from the Parsippany‑Troy Hills Board of Adjustment to amend its previously approved lighting plan after nighttime field testing showed the originally submitted lighting layout produced greater on‑site illumination than expected.

Company counsel Joseph O’Neal and operations witness Todd Waldo told the board the venue calibrated its driving‑range lights and added mitigation features, including a fabric screen along the outfield netting and glare visors on fixtures. As Todd Waldo testified, the company “pledged to be a good neighbor, good corporate citizen within the township” and said it had invited neighbors to inspect the lights during an on‑site demonstration.

Engineer Michaela Maguire told the board the amended technical plan reduces field fixture output to 60% of full power for normal operations and includes a 40‑ft fabric glare screen that the company said blocks roughly 30% of light transmission through that portion of the netting. Maguire said the fixtures can be further dimmed and programmed: the lights will be reduced to about 25% after closing during short maintenance operations and will be shut off two hours after closing.

Neighbors and board members pressed the applicant on measurable light outside the property line, the appearance and durability of the fabric screen, and operating hours. Resident commenters and some commissioners said other nearby industrial lighting is also visible from Route 46, and several members urged the applicant to soften the screen with evergreen plantings. The applicant agreed to plantings and to provide the town with specifications or an order sheet for the fabric sample installed, which the board requested be marked and retained as an exhibit for town files.

Board attorney and staff clarified the application was an amendment to a prior site approval and not a request for additional variances; the board discussed whether measured foot‑candles at the property line would require formal relief but concluded the proposed design, screening and operational limits (60% during operation; dimmed to 25% after close; off two hours after close) together met safety and nuisance concerns raised in testimony.

The board approved the amendment by roll call vote, conditioned on documentation of the installed screen (manufacturer/specification), inclusion of hours and the dimming/off schedule on the plans, the planting schedule for landscaping to soften the screen, and that the lights be programmed as described. Commissioners asked that the exhibit and the manufacturer specifications be filed with the zoning office so the town can verify later replacements match what was approved.

The company confirmed it intends to open the venue within weeks. The board’s action finalizes the lighting configuration described at the hearing; any future substantial change to the lighting or screening would require the board’s review.