With the aim of preserving night skies over the Snyderville Basin, the Basin Planning Commission on Tuesday discussed some proposals from staff to update lighting technology.
There were questions and concerns from the Planning Commission about the impacts of requiring older lighting to get into compliance, with a deadline, at most, seven years out.
The planning staff is proposing to amend lighting regulations to bring them up to current technology.
Staff planner Ray Milliner said that he talked to Dark Skies organizations, who recommend six basic principles.
“Use the light only where it’s needed only when it’s needed. Shield it to reduce the glare. Yellow light or soft light to minimize the blue light emissions. Minimum amount of light necessary for the task. Dimmers, motion sensors and timers to help reduce the average illumination and use energy efficient lamps.”
The staff also recommended that non-conforming lighting has to be brought into compliance within seven years, or during remodels, or in cases where they’re broken or replaced.
That had Planning Chairwoman Bea Peck quizzing Milliner about what this would mean.
“A damaged light outside your barn you got to go get a permit to replace your lamp? Really?”
Milliner replied, “Yeah in a lot of cases. If they put it on there and they didn’t well there wouldn’t be a lot I could do about it.”
“Are you limiting this to certain types of buildings? Because I see where this was broken out.”
“Nope, it’s not.”
“So, Ray, an inoperative light, my outside garage light breaks?”
“Yeah, your fixture, not your lightbulb.”
“my fixture, ok so I’m going to come to you to get permission”
“You’d need a building permit for that yeah an electrical permit.”
“Am I hearing this right?”
“mhmm”
“You have to get a building permit to fix a lamp at your house?”
“Technically, yeah”
She compared this discussion to another item that was previously brought up to new standards—that is, fireplaces.
“So, you want to be aggressive with this, I get that. For instance, when we did the fireplace fan. We’re not making everyone doing their fireplaces. Let me think this through. So, we’re not forcing everyone to take out their wood burning fireplaces after seven years but we are forcing them to change their light. So, I guess what I’m saying is we probably need to figure out some sort of assistance, carve-out, exemption, exception, something to that effect.”
The staff said they’re talking about upgrading fixtures, not bulbs. County Development Director Pat Putt cautioned against over-reaction and talked about cases where a new fixture might require an electrical permit.
“What we’re saying is, depending on the nature of that electrical work it may require a permit. Now if someone takes a complying fixture, goes down to Home Depot or Lowes—are we all paying attention here? If they take a complying fixture and they change it because maybe they don’t like the looks of it. They want something of a different style and it doesn’t meet these proposed standards and they put it on the building we could enforce on that.”
He said the county has just one code enforcement officer. But cases of lighting compliance might come to his attention.
“It’s not maybe his top priority but if it becomes a subject of a complaint which we do get occasionally for lighting. He would investigate that we would look into the source. Does it meet the code does it not meet the code? If it doesn’t that particular property owner will need to bring that light into compliance. It’s really not that complicated, nor is it that overly onerous. It’s how we do any enforcement of the code.”
A public hearing brought comments from a few residents. Silver Summit residents Chris Hague said from his home, he sees the lighting from Trailside Elementary. He said school district officials haven’t responded to his concerns.
“It seems to me that institutional lighting in this community is excessive. For example I think the school district lights up their premises beyond what is necessary on the theory that it protect the property.”
In response, Peck noted that the staff is also recommending that larger parking lots have motion sensors or dimmable fixtures.
