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Planning Commission <br />Meeting Minutes <br />July 13, 2023 <br />Page 6 of 14 <br />Case Planner: Amelia Brackett Hogstad, Planner <br />Brauneis opened the public hearing. <br />Staff Presentation: <br />Brackett Hogstad gave a high-level introduction to dark sky lighting. She said generally <br />dark sky lighting refers to regulating outdoor lighting fixtures, to ensure that they are <br />shielded, targeted, and of warmer colors. She said that City Council had pursued dark <br />sky lighting as part of their 2021 work plan and now it has come back to the Planning <br />Commission for consideration. <br />Brackett Hogstad explained that some of benefits are: reduction of light pollution, <br />greater access to the night sky, reduction in overall energy usage in some cases, and <br />benefits to both human and animal wake -sleep patterns. She mentioned that regulating <br />outdoor lighting can also have community impacts through enhancements to safety and <br />security. <br />Brackett Hogstad then turned to the content of the proposed ordinance. She said it <br />concerns public and private properties, including both commercial and residential. She <br />said it is not applicable to streetlights. The ordinance would require fully -shielded <br />fixtures with caps on lumens/brightness per luminaire, as well as prohibitions on lighting <br />trespass on adjacent properties if they are of different zoning districts (i.e., commercial <br />to residential). She introduced the concept of a uniformity table with minimums and <br />maximums (foot candles) for non-residential properties. She indicated that staff is taking <br />safety considerations into account and is providing carve outs for holiday lighting. <br />Brackett Hogstad presented three options for consideration: <br />Option 1 has a tiered amortization timeline, with varying compliance deadlines (of <br />3, 5, and 10 years) for specific components of the regulations. <br />Option 2's compliance mechanism is through building permitting. If substantial <br />alterations and additions are made to residential and nonresidential properties, <br />the property owners would be required to come into site wide compliance. <br />Substantial alterations are defined as changes to 50% of the exterior wall area or <br />materials (excluding roofing) of a building. <br />Option 3 requires only new construction and replacement lighting to achieve <br />compliance. <br />City of Louisville <br />Community Development 749 Main Street Louisville CO 80027 <br />303.335.4592 (phone) www.LouisvilleCO.gov <br />