HomeMy WebLinkAboutA003 - Council Action Form dated August 24, 2010 ITEM # 34
DATE: 08-24-10
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
SUBJECT: ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT — OUTDOOR LIGHTING
CODE
BACKGROUND:
Staff is proposing two changes to the outdoor lighting code that will allow them to more
effectively administer this ordinance and to ease the burden on our customers as they
install compliant outdoor lighting fixtures.
The Outdoor Lighting Code (Section 29.411) of the Zoning Ordinance regulates, among
other things, the amount of light emitted in the glare zone of outdoor light fixtures. The
glare zone is defined as the area between "15 degrees below the horizontal to the
horizontal plane through the lowest direct light emitting part of the luminaire." This is the
area measured from 75 degrees from horizontal to 90 degrees from horizontal. The
amount of light that can be emitted in this 15 degree angle is no more than 5 percent of
its total lumens, and no light can be emitted above the horizontal plane.
In determining whether a luminaire meets these limits, staff relies on information
provided by the manufacturer or the vendor. The lighting industry has several firms that
measure light output of luminaires and provide a standard display of that information in
a Photometric Report. The Luminaire Classification System (LCS) summary provides
luminaire lumens output over a range of angles. These ranges of angles are: 0 degrees
(straight down) to 30 degrees; 30 to 60 degrees; 60 to 80 degrees; 80 to 90 degrees
(horizontal); 90 to 100 degrees; and 100 degrees to 180 degrees (straight up). The LCS
summary details the number and percent of luminaire lumens that are found within each
range, from the front of the lamp and the rear of the lamp. An example of the LCS
summary is attached to this report.
The range of angles of the LCS summary providing information that most closely
matches the requirements of the ordinance is the 80 to 90 degree range, while the City
of Ames ordinance regulates the 75 to 90 degree range. In order to determine
whether a luminaire is compliant, staff must extrapolate data from LCS summary
in the 60 to 80 degree range and add it to the data in the 80 to 90 degree range.
This is not an exact mathematical exercise, since light does not fall evenly within
any of the range of angles. Sometimes staff has to guess or apply best judgment
to determine whether a luminaire meets the requirements of the lighting
ordinance.
The City's outdoor lighting code also requires that information on the lighting fixtures be
submitted at the time that a site development plan is submitted. Staff has repeatedly
heard from architects, engineers, and developers that the owner of a building may not
yet know what his outdoor lighting fixtures will be at the site development stage, but that
those details oftentimes evolve as the project progresses.
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In response to these customer suggestions, staff asked the City Council to refer this
item for a recommendation, and that was done on January 12, 2010. Two changes to
the outdoor lighting ordinance are now being proposed.
One change is to amend the code to allow no more than 5 percent of total lumens
to fall within the 10 degree below horizontal to horizontal plane. This is the 80-
degree to 90-degree range that is the industry standard for glare zone, bringing
our regulatory requirement into alignment with the industry standard. It also
removes any opportunity for error in extrapolating lighting information in the 15
degree glare zone and would remove any ambiguity as to whether a fixture meets
the standards.
The second change is to allow an applicant to either supply the requested
information at the time of site plan submittal or to note on the plan that the
information will be submitted to the Planning and Housing Department prior to
installation.
Staff discussed these changes, as well as other options, with interested customers at a
quarterly meeting in April. Based upon that discussion, staff prepared draft
amendments and e-mailed them to local developers, architects, and engineers for
review and comment.
Staff also discussed these options with Dave Speer of Lighting Analysts, Inc. His firm
evaluates luminaires and generates lighting information for manufacturers. Mr. Speer
confirms that the 80 to 90 degree range is the industry standard for glare zone
regulations. While the 75 to 90 degree range can certainly be evaluated, his firm has no
plans to generate that data.
Staff also contacted David Oesper and Ed Engle. Both were members of the committee
that initially developed the outdoor lighting ordinance for Council's adoption. Both
indicated that it is important to maintain some regulation over lumens that are emitted in
the glare zone and both believed that changing the standard from no more than 5
percent in the 80 to 90 degree range would have a negligible impact on light pollution
from the existing standard of no more than 5 percent in the 75 to 90 degree range. Both
indicated support of the proposed changes.
Recommendation of the Planning & Zoning Commission. At its meeting of August
4, 2010, with a vote of 6-0, the Commission recommended approval of the Zoning
Ordinance text amendments presented by staff. These amendments are included as an
attachment to this report. No one attended the meeting to speak in opposition to or
support of the proposed changes.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. The City Council can adopt the amendments as proposed and attached.
2. The City Council can adopt the proposed amendments, with modifications.
3. The City Council can choose to not adopt the proposed amendments.
4. The City Council can refer this back to staff for additional analysis.
MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
The proposed amendments respond to customer and staff concerns about the
unavailability of information to determine compliance with the City's outdoor lighting
ordinance. The amendments will require the submittal of information that is readily
available from manufacturers or vendors of lighting fixtures. The current practice relies
on extrapolation of data that sometimes is imprecise.
The amendment also allows customer an option when submitting a site plan application.
The customer will be able to submit necessary lighting information with the application
or else note on the plan that lighting will be approved later. This will allow customers to
determine the actual lighting fixtures at a later date while still requiring staff to evaluate
the fixtures prior to installation.
Therefore, it is the City Manager's recommendation that the City Council accept
Alternative #1, which is to adopt the attached changes to the City's outdoor lighting
code.
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Outdoor Lighting Code
- Proposed Amendments -
The following proposed amendments pertain to the Outdoor Lighting Code (Section
29.411). Current regulations are cited below, with proposed new language shown as
underlined text, and proposed deleted language shown as st,�.ikeout text. Only those
sections and paragraphs with proposed changes are shown.
Section 29.411(4) Control of Glare — Luminaire Design Factors
(a) Any luminaire with a lamp rated at more than 1800 lumens shall not emit, in
its installed position, any direct light above a horizontal plane through the lowest
direct light emitting part of the luminaire.
(b) Any luminaire with a lamp rated at more than 1800 lumens, shall not emit in
its installed position any more than 5% of its total light output in the zone from 45
10 degrees below the horizontal to the horizontal plane through the lowest direct
light emitting part of the luminaire.
Section 29.411(10) Development Permits
(a) Submission Contents. The applicant for any permit or site plan approval
required by any provision of the ordinances of this city involving outdoor lighting
fixtures shall submit (as part of the application for site plan approval or a permit)
evidence that the proposed work or activity will comply with the Outdoor Lighting
Code. Specifically, the application or submission shall include:
(i) plans indicating the location on the premises, and the type of
illuminating devices, fixtures, lamps, supports, reflectors, and other
devices;
(ii) a detailed description of the illuminating devices, fixtures, lamps,
supports, reflectors, and other devices. The description shall include
manufacturer's catalog cuts and drawings, including sections when
requested;
(iii) photometric data, such as that furnished by manufacturers, showing
the angle of cut off or light emissions, or luminaire classification system
data as supplied by the manufacturer or independent testing
laboratory.
(b) Additional Submission. The above required plans, descriptions and data shall
be sufficiently complete to enable the plans examiner to readily determine
whether compliance with the requirements of the Outdoor Lighting Code will be
secured. If such plans, descriptions and data cannot enable this ready
determination, by reason of the nature or configuration of the devices, fixtures, or
lamps proposed, the applicant shall additionally submit as evidence of
compliance to enable such determination such certified reports of tests as will do
so provided that these tests shall have been performed and certified by a
recognized testing laboratory.
(c) Alternative Submission. As an alternative to 10 (a) and 10 (b) above, a
note may be placed on the site plan indicating that no outdoor lighting
shall be installed unless approved by the Department of Planning and
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Housing. Prior to installation of any outdoor lighting fixtures, sufficient
information as described in 10 (a) or 10 (b) above shall be submitted to the
Department in order to determine compliance with the Outdoor Lighting
Code.
(c-)(d) Lamp or Fixture Substitution. Should any outdoor light fixture, or the type
of light source therein, be changed after the permit has been issued, a change
request must be submitted to the building official for approval, together with
adequate information to assure compliance with this code, which must be
received prior to substitution.
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