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Rowlett planning commission reviews proposed citywide lighting-code changes
Summary
Staff proposed citywide updates to Section 77-5-10 to add measurable lighting limits (including a 0.25 foot-candle maximum at residential property lines), definitions and enforcement procedures; commissioners debated scope, enforcement and holiday-lighting windows ahead of a public hearing.
The Rowlett Planning and Zoning Commission met June 9 for a work session to review staff-drafted amendments to Section 77-5-10 of the development code governing outdoor lighting and glare. Michael King of the Community Development Department summarized the proposal and told commissioners the City Council had asked staff to pursue a measurable residential standard.
"The City Council recommendation allowable maximum intensity measured at the residential property line as 0.25 foot candles," King said, explaining the draft adds definitions, plan-review computations, field luminance measures and enforcement language. King said the current code lacks consistent measurement methods and that the proposed text would create a verifiable pass/fail test for complaint-driven enforcement.
Commissioners did not take a formal vote at the work session; staff will refine the draft language and present the item at a regular meeting public hearing where the commission may make a formal recommendation to City Council. Key open questions for the next hearing include whether the rule should apply to new construction only or also to existing fixtures under certain conditions, how appeals should be routed, and the timeline for bringing existing fixtures into compliance if they fail the luminance test.
