4.a 1 Memo re Lighting OrdinanceMemorandum
To: Scandia Planning
Commission
Copies To: Neil Soltis, City
Administrator
Brenda Eklund, City Clerk
Reference: Lighting Ordinance Amendment
Project No.: 16323.000
From: Sherri Buss, RLA AICP, Routing:
Planner
Date: July 24. 2017
Background
The City recently approved a Site Plan for the expansion of Scandia Elementary School and
related site improvements. The Lighting Plan for the project proposed additional lighting and
replacement lighting using LED luminaires.
The City's Development Code currently prohibits the use of LED luminaires in all zoning
districts. This section of the ordinance is older, and staff are not sure why the prohibition was
included. It may have been that when the section of the Code was adopted, LED lighting was
not designed to be shielded or downcast, and there was a concern that the light from LED's
would be too bright to meet the City's standards. The Scandia Architectural Design Guidelines
were approved more recently, and prohibit the use of LED lights on signs, but do not prohibit its
use for parking lots or building lighting.
LED luminaire have become the standard for most outdoor lighting because of their efficiency
and low maintenance in comparison to other types of lighting. The Scandia Elementary School
lighting plan demonstrated that LED luminaires are available that can meet the City's
performance standards for outdoor lighting.
Proposed Ordinance Amendment
The City Council requested that the Planning Commission review the Lighting section of the
Code, and provide a recommendation to the Council regarding whether the Lighting section
should be amended to remove the prohibition on the use of LED lighting. The Council will hold
a public hearing on the proposed ordinance amendment at its meeting on August 15. The
public hearing was scheduled at the August Council meeting to avoid the delay that would have
occurred in order to schedule the hearing at a Planning Commission meeting because the
public notice requirements would have delayed the hearing to the September PC meeting.
The City Administrator suggested some additional changes to the ordinance: to clarify that the
standards apply to Outdoor Lighting (not signs), as defined in the Code; that the standards do
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Memorandum
To: Scandia Planning
Commission
Copies To: Neil Soltis, City
Administrator
Brenda Eklund, City Clerk
Reference: Lighting Ordinance Amendment
Project No.: 16323.000
From: Sherri Buss, RLA AICP, Routing:
Planner
Date: July 24. 2017
Background
The City recently approved a Site Plan for the expansion of Scandia Elementary School and
related site improvements. The Lighting Plan for the project proposed additional lighting and
replacement lighting using LED luminaires.
The City's Development Code currently prohibits the use of LED luminaires in all zoning
districts. This section of the ordinance is older, and staff are not sure why the prohibition was
included. It may have been that when the section of the Code was adopted, LED lighting was
not designed to be shielded or downcast, and there was a concern that the light from LED's
would be too bright to meet the City's standards. The Scandia Architectural Design Guidelines
were approved more recently, and prohibit the use of LED lights on signs, but do not prohibit its
use for parking lots or building lighting.
LED luminaire have become the standard for most outdoor lighting because of their efficiency
and low maintenance in comparison to other types of lighting. The Scandia Elementary School
lighting plan demonstrated that LED luminaires are available that can meet the City's
performance standards for outdoor lighting.
Proposed Ordinance Amendment
The City Council requested that the Planning Commission review the Lighting section of the
Code, and provide a recommendation to the Council regarding whether the Lighting section
should be amended to remove the prohibition on the use of LED lighting. The Council will hold
a public hearing on the proposed ordinance amendment at its meeting on August 15. The
public hearing was scheduled at the August Council meeting to avoid the delay that would have
occurred in order to schedule the hearing at a Planning Commission meeting because the
public notice requirements would have delayed the hearing to the September PC meeting.
The City Administrator suggested some additional changes to the ordinance: to clarify that the
standards apply to Outdoor Lighting (not signs), as defined in the Code; that the standards do
An employee owned company promoting affirmative action and equal opportunity
Code Amendment - Lighting Page 2
Scandia Planning Commission
August 1, 2017
not apply to street lighting on State and County highways, to state that traditional decorative
lighting that existed in the Village VMU A and B Districts at the time of the adoption of the
ordinance are exempt from the ordinance standards, and to remove "individual letters" from the
list of outdoor lighting that are regulated by the ordinance, since they are part of the definition of
"sign" that is regulated by the Sign section of the Code. The Planner included those items in the
proposed ordinance amendment.
The Planning Commission should discuss the proposed amendment at its meeting on August 1
and provide its recommendations to the City Council.
I