New Glarus City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XVIII
Exterior Lighting Plans and Standards
[Added 2-6-2007 by Ord. No. 07-01]
§ 305-140 Purpose.
The purpose of this article is to regulate the spillover of light and glare on operators of motor vehicles, pedestrians, and land uses in the vicinity of a light source in order to promote traffic safety and prevent the creation of nuisances. A further purpose of this article is to regulate outdoor night lighting fixtures to preserve and enhance the area's dark sky while promoting safety, conserving energy and preserving the environment for astronomy.
§ 305-141 Applicability and definitions.
A.
The requirements of this article apply to all private exterior lighting within the Village, except for lighting within public rights-of-way and/or lighting located on public property.
B.
Definitions, for the purpose of this article, are as follows:
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
An outdoor artificial illuminating device, whether permanent or portable used for illumination or advertisement, including general lighting fixtures, searchlights, spotlights and floodlights, whether for architectural lighting, display lot lighting, parking lot lighting, landscape lighting, signage or other purposes.
SHIELDED FIXTURE
A fixture that is shielded in such a manner that light rays emitted by the fixture, either directly from the lamp or indirectly from the fixture, are projected at least 15° below a horizontal plane running through the lowest point on the fixture where light is emitted.
§ 305-142 Required lighting plan.
Where a development requires site plan review, all outdoor lighting fixtures shall be depicted and described on the required site plan or on a separate lighting plan. Depending on the complexity of the proposal or projected impact of lighting, the Village may also require the following information:
A.
A catalog page, cut sheet, or photography of the outdoor lighting fixtures(s) including the mounting method and light cutoff angles.
B.
A photometric plot plan, drawn to the same scale as the site plan, and indicating the location of all lighting fixtures proposed; mounting and/or installation height in feet; the average illumination level (in footcandles) within the parking lot; and illumination levels at regular intervals around the site and at property lines.
§ 305-143 Standards.
A.
Orientation of fixture. All exterior lighting fixtures shall be shielded fixtures, except for incandescent fixtures of 150 watts or less or LED equivalent. In no instance shall an exterior lighting fixture be oriented so that the lighting element (or a transparent shield) is visible from a property located within a residential zoning district. The use of shielded luminaires and careful fixture placement is required so as to facilitate compliance with this requirement.
[Amended 3-3-2020 by Ord. No. 20-03]
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B.
Fixture height. The height of any light fixture shall not exceed 15 feet for any residential use, 25 feet for low- and moderate-intensity nonresidential uses, and 35 feet for high-intensity nonresidential uses, as defined in the table in Subsection C below, except for athletic field lighting associated with institutional uses. The height of the pole and base shall constitute the measurement.
C.
Intensity of illumination and filtering. In no instance shall the amount of illumination attributable to exterior lighting, as measured at the property line, exceed 0.50 footcandle above ambient lighting conditions on a cloudless night. In addition to this requirement, all exterior lighting fixtures shall not exceed the illumination levels recommended by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) as given in the table below. All metal halide fixtures shall be filtered by a glass or acrylic enclosure. Quartz glass shall not be considered as meeting this requirement.
IES Illumination Standards for Parking Lots | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Parking and Pedestrian | Vehicle Use Only | ||||||
Level of Activity | Examples | Average | Minimum | Uniformity (avg./min.) | Average | Minimum | Uniformity (avg./min.) |
High | Major league athletic events; major cultural or civic events; regional shopping centers | 3.6 fc 60,000 lu1 750 W MH 750 W HPS 375 W LPS | 0.9 fc 15,000 lu1 185 W MH 185 W HPS 90 W LPS | 4:1 | 1.8 fc 30,000 lu1 375 W MH 375 W HPS 375 W LPS | 0.6 fc 10,000 lu1 125 W MH 125 W HPS 65 W LPS | 3:1 |
Medium | Community shopping centers; cultural, civic, or recreational event; office parking; hospital parking; transportation parking; fast food facilities; residential complex parking | 2.4 fc 40,000 lu1 500 W MH 500 W HPS 250 W LPS | 0.6 fc 10,000 lu1 125 W MH 125 W HPS 65 W LPS | 4:1 | 0.9 fc 15,000 lu1 185 W MH 185 W HPS 90 W LPS | 0.3 fc 5,000 lu1 60 W MH 60 W HPS 30 W LPS | 3:1 |
Low | Neighborhood shopping; industrial employee parking; educational facility parking; church parking | 0.9 fc 15,000 lu1 185 W MH 185 W HPS 90 W LPS | 0.18 fc 3,000 lu1 35 W MH 35 W HPS 18 W LPS | 4:1 | 0.45 fc 7,500 lu1 90 W MH 90 W HPS 45 W LPS | 0.12 fc 5,000 lu1 25 W MH 25 W HPS 15 W LPS | 4:1 |
1 NOTE: Assumes light is at a height of 20 feet. If light is at 30 feet, the lumens needs to be doubled to achieve the same fc at the ground. |
D.
Minimum lighting standards. All areas designated on required site plans for vehicular parking, loading, or circulation and used for any such purpose after sunset shall provide artificial illumination in such areas meeting the minimum for "low" level of activity as defined in the table in Subsection C above during operating hours.
E.
Architectural lighting. All architectural lighting shall be of 150 watts or less in incandescent and shall be of 70 watts or less for other lighting types. All architectural lighting during such period shall have a minimum of 90% of its light fall onto the illuminated structure, rather than into sky or space beyond the structure.
F.
Hours of illumination.
(1)
Architectural lighting. Within one hour after closing of the store, completion of the final work shift, or completion of specific activities associated with an institutional use, only architectural lighting necessary for building security will be permitted. Under no circumstances shall the illumination of architecture other than building security lighting be permitted between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Public institutions and structures used primarily as places of worship are exempt from this requirement, provided they comply with § 305-143E of this chapter.
(2)
Display/storage lot lighting. Display and storage lot lighting other than security lighting shall be extinguished within one hour after closing of the business. Under no circumstances shall the illumination of display lots other than security lighting be permitted between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Display lot security lighting during the periods indicated shall not exceed levels allowed for "low" intensity uses, as specified in the table in Subsection C above.
(3)
Parking, loading and vehicular circulation lighting. Within one hour after closing of the store, completion of the final work shift, or completion of specific activities associated with an institutional use, lighting of parking lot, loading and unloading areas, and other vehicular areas shall not exceed the maximum intensity allowed for "low" intensity uses as specified in the table in Subsection C above.
G.
Lights and fixtures prohibited.
(1)
Mercury vapor fixtures. No new mercury vapor exterior lighting fixtures shall be installed following the effective date of this article.
(2)
Flashing lights. Flashing, flickering and other distracting lighting. Flashing, flickering and/or other lighting which may distract motorists are prohibited.
(3)
Spotlights and beacons. Spotlights and beacons directing light off premises, other than those required for aviation safety and navigation.
H.
Nonconforming lighting. All lighting fixtures existing prior to the effective date of this article shall be considered as legal conforming structures (see Article V). To the extent permitted by technology used, existing nonconforming lighting structures shall be made to comply with operational requirements for hours of illumination, and lighting intensity requirements of the Village of New Glarus Municipal Code following the effective date of this article. All replacement fixtures shall fully comply with the requirements of this article.