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Argyle planning commission tables ISD stadium lighting SUP so members can view lights at night
Summary
The Planning & Zoning Commission voted 6-0 to table a special-use permit for the new Argyle ISD lighted sports field until Aug. 5 so commissioners can inspect the lights after 10 p.m.; staff cited candela measurements showing reduced spillover but acknowledged the system would not be technically dark-sky certified without additional steps.
The Town of Argyle Planning & Zoning Commission on July 1 delayed action on a special-use permit request from Argyle Independent School District for a lighted sports field at 750 FM 407 W, voting 6-0 to table the item to the commission's Aug. 5 meeting so members can view the lights at night.
Staff presented updated plans and post-adjustment site photographs showing reduced spillover after the vendor Musco and AISD modified the fixtures. Planning staff told commissioners that a diode-visibility threshold of 1,000 candela is used to indicate whether a diode is visible; the reading closest to a residential corner now measures 872 candela, below that threshold. "We went out before sunrise and took pictures, walked the site, and in most cases you could not see the direct diode of the light," staff said during the presentation.
Commissioners asked whether the system complies with the town's dark-sky goals and whether the SUP can include operational limits. Staff said the town's outdoor-sports lighting standard now requires dark-sky certification for new systems but noted Musco systems can be certified after additional application and review. Jeff Cohen, construction manager for Argyle ISD, described how the system is scheduled and controlled and said coaching staff normally operate the schedule; he said maintenance and district staff also retain control.
Staff also reported six written public responses: four in favor and two opposed within the mailed notice areas. Commissioners expressed particular interest in seeing uplighting at true nighttime, not just pre-dawn tests, and in adding enforceable conditions such as timers and clarified definitions of "Argyle ISD event" usage. A motion to table to Aug. 5 so commissioners could inspect the lights after 10 p.m. passed 6-0.
The commission directed staff to coordinate logistics with AISD and report back with a posted time window for members and the public to review the night-time operation ahead of the Aug. 5 meeting.
