Farmington committee signals support for dark‑skies zoning changes, staff outlines drafting process

The Town of Farmington Green Efforts Committee discussed adopting dark‑skies lighting requirements as one of its goals and heard from planning staff about how zoning text amendments would work.

Staff member, a town planner staffer who drafts regulation language, told the committee the town already limits light trespass, requires downcast fixtures and sets color‑temperature ceilings for new developments. "Our requirement now is that there's no light trespass over the property lines, that they're dark‑sky compliant fixtures, that they're not color temperature greater than 4,000 Kelvin," the staff member said, explaining existing standards and noting that most changes affect new developments rather than existing installations.

Members asked whether any changes would apply to residents and businesses. The staff member clarified that the town cannot require businesses or residents to modify existing legally established fixtures, but can codify and refine standards for new developments and for approvals requiring photometric plans.

Staff described the practical drafting process: reviewing model ordinances used elsewhere, pulling research and guidance into a packet, presenting a draft to the Green Efforts Committee for comment, then delivering proposed changes to the Planning & Zoning Commission and holding public hearings as required.

Committee members volunteered to research model regulations from comparable Connecticut towns and to support drafting a concise, user‑friendly amendment that balances compliance and clarity. The committee agreed to postpone substantive drafting until staff finishes permit renewals in the fall and has bandwidth to draft a precise text amendment.

Next steps: volunteers to gather model ordinances; staff to compile research and prepare an initial draft for committee review.