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Charles Town planning commission debates new outdoor-lighting rules, including 3,000K cap and full-cutoff fixtures
Summary
Zoning staff proposed allowing LED fixtures, requiring full-cutoff luminaires and a 3,000-Kelvin maximum for parks and streets in draft lighting standards; commissioners asked staff to research athletics and other exceptions before a public hearing.
At a Nov. 25 work session, James, Charles Town’s zoning administrator, outlined proposed changes to the city’s outdoor-lighting rules to allow LEDs and strengthen shielding standards. "I got rid of the requirement that light shall use a white metal halide lighting system that opens up the door to, you know, LED and other possibilities," James said, describing edits that remove old halide-specific language and emphasize fixture performance.
James told commissioners the draft would require exterior luminaires (except for single-family detached and duplex dwellings) to be full-cutoff fixtures aimed downward, with cutoffs that shield the light source at a 90-degree angle from vertical so light is directed to the ground rather than into adjacent properties. He also proposed a color-temperature limit, saying "lighting for private streets, public and private parks, and businesses shall be no warmer than 3,000 degrees Kelvin," and noted he would research whether that cap could conflict with athletic-field needs.
Commissioners welcomed the focus on shielding but raised practical concerns about sports lighting and emergency fixtures that must stay on. Members asked staff to survey other jurisdictions and report back on whether athletics or security lighting would be constrained by a 3,000-K cap and to provide model ordinance language—for example, targeted exemptions or site-based allowances—for the public hearing.
James said the changes would apply to new installations and new development going forward; fixtures already ‘‘grandfathered’’ in place would remain until replaced. Staff will return with a draft text and comparative examples before scheduling a public hearing for formal adoption.
