To the editor:
Article 34 at Town Meeting on Saturday is a replay of last year’s failed effort by the Planning Board to limit the choice of light fixtures and bulbs used outside homes and businesses. It should be defeated for these reasons:
- It limits the selection of outdoor fixtures to those that do not emit light upward, even if the fixture is under an overhang (such as a porch) that prevents light from beaming up.
- Although existing fixtures are exempt, existing bulbs are not. The proposed by-law states without exception that “All exterior lamps shall have a Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) value of 3000K or below,” and “Exterior lights on residential properties shall have a maximum output of 900 lumens,” the equivalent of a 60-watt incandescent bulb. All bulbs that fail to comply will have to be replaced immediately. Existing fixtures will have to comply if replaced.
- The limit of 900 lumens is not adequate for outdoor security lights. Bulbs in the street lights in Lincoln’s condominium communities undoubtedly exceed this limit, so will have to be replaced with bulbs that provide less illumination.
- Federal law requires that American flags flown at night be lighted. The proposal has no exception for this. This point was raised at last year’s town meeting, so the omission must be intentional. “Take your flag down at night,” was the Planning Board’s response last year.
- The changes, if adopted, will have no discernable effect on the night sky. A dark rural Lincoln will still bask in the glow of the brightly lit urban areas that surround it. How much restriction on our personal liberties must we endure for no effect?
Sincerely,
Michael R. Coppock
214 Aspen Circle
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Apollo,
You are correct – “dark sky” is a not always a helpful term when looking for lighting. It’s a marketing term. You want to look for full cut-off lights and a certification is not required. You just need a light that does not expose the bulb. I live in a modern (flat roof and all) house with full cutoff compliant lights as required by site plan review at the time our house was built (and prior to my joining the planning board). In designing the wording for the ordinance we deliberately defined the characteristics of the conforming lights rather than requiring IDA or LEED certification. The certifications increase expense and decrease availability.
You can buy inexpensive modern style lights at Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Designers-Fountain-Barrow-3-in-Oil-Rubbed-Bronze-LED-Wall-Lantern-LED33001-ORB/206410130
or fancier ones from wolfer’s: https://catalog.wolfers.com/Exterior/Wall%20Mount/Contemporary%20Modern/Dark%20Sky. Lighting ordinances are increasingly common and there are full cut off lights available in a wide range of styles and price points.
Margaret
Do folks proposing these ordinance ACTUALLY go and try to find Dark Sky compliant lights?
I have spent last year researching these compliant lights, so I could retrofit my house. What I have found is severely lacking selection.
EVEN IDA’s OWN DATABASE IS NON-FUNCTIONAL.
And if you find something that is even remotely not gaudy, the prices are outrageous and reliability reviews indicate very poor quality. Not everyone is interesting in “Greek Revival” or “Classic” lights. Not everyone in this town lives in historic property.
Could also someone please point where is “dark sky” standard codified in a legitimate ICC or NEC code? IDA is not a recognized code-issuing organization. It is a non-for-profit issuing recommendations and guidelines.
What Lincoln needs is more walkable roads, so we actually can walk our kids to school or walk our dogs in the evening. This obsession with “dark sky” when we are next to urban areas and will soon be surrounded with more is just not the right expenditure of energy
In response to feedback at last year’s Town Meeting and the State of the Town meeting in the fall the Planning Board revised the proposed lighting regulations:
– The lumens limit has been removed. We heard that buildings wired for a few strong lights can be very difficult to retrofit with a larger number of lower lumens lights
To clarify a couple of points:
– A quick google search turned up numerous dark skies compliant flagpole lights. I apologize for not having made this clear last year.
– There are now dark sky compliant full cut off lights for every conceivable application.
– You do not need to replace bulbs in grandfathered fixtures. The bulb is part of the lighting assembly.