1. Purpose. The purpose of this subsection is to require and set minimum standards for outdoor lighting to:
A. Provide for and control lighting in outdoor public places where public health, safety and welfare are potential concerns;
B. Protect drivers and pedestrians from the glare of non-vehicular light sources;
C. Protect neighbors and the night sky from nuisance glare and light trespass from improperly selected or poorly placed, aimed, applied, maintained or shielded light sources;
D. Promote energy-efficient lighting design and operation;
E. Protect and retain the intended visual character of the various venues of the Borough.
2. Applicability.
A. This subsection applies to uses that are proposed to operate during hours of darkness where there is public assembly and traverse, including but not limited to the following: multi-family residential, residential, commercial, industrial, recreational and institutional uses, and sign, billboard, architectural and landscape lighting applications.
B. The Borough Council may require lighting be incorporated for other uses, applications and locations, as it deems necessary.
C. The glare-control requirements herein contained apply to lighting in all uses, applications and locations.
3. Criteria.
A. Illumination Levels. Lighting, where required by this Chapter or otherwise required or allowed by the Borough, shall have intensities and uniformities and glare control in accordance with the current recommended practices of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) as contained in the IESNA Lighting Handbook and applicable Recommended Practices, except as may otherwise be required by the Borough.
B. Lighting Fixture Design.
(1) Fixtures shall be of a type and design appropriate to the lighting application and as approved by the Borough.
(2) For the lighting of predominantly horizontal surfaces such as, but not limited to parking areas, roadways, vehicular and pedestrian passage areas, merchandising and storage areas, automotive-fuel dispensing facilities, automotive sales areas, loading docks, cul-de-sacs, active and passive recreational areas, building entrances, sidewalks, bicycle and pedestrian paths, and site entrances, fixtures shall be aimed straight down and shall meet IESNA full-cutoff criteria. Fixtures with an aggregate rated lamp lumen output per fixture that does not exceed the rated output of a standard 60-watt incandescent lamp, i.e., 1,000 lumens, are exempt from the requirements of this paragraph.
(3) For the lighting of predominantly non-horizontal surfaces such as, but not limited to, facades, landscaping, signs, billboards, fountains, displays and statuary, fixtures shall be fully shielded and shall be installed and aimed so as to not project their output into the windows of neighboring residences, adjacent uses, past the object being illuminated, skyward or onto a public roadway. Fixtures with an aggregate rated lamp lumen output per fixture that does not exceed the rated output of a standard 60-watt incandescent lamp, i.e., 1,000 lumens, are exempt from the requirements of this paragraph.
(4) “Barn lights,” aka “dusk-to-dawn lights,” where visible from other properties, shall not be permitted unless fully shielded.
C. Installation.
(1) Electrical feeds for lighting poles shall be run underground, not overhead.
(2) Poles supporting lighting fixtures for the illumination of parking areas and located directly behind parking spaces, or where they could be hit by snow plows, shall be placed a minimum of 5 feet outside paved area or tire stops, or placed on concrete pedestals at least 30 inches high above the pavement, or suitably protected by other Borough-approved means.
(3) Pole mounted fixtures for the illumination of horizontal tasks shall be aimed straight down.
4. Residential Development Fixture Placement.
A. For residential developments where lot sizes are or average less than 20,000 square feet, street lighting shall be provided at:
(1) The intersection of public streets with entrance streets to the proposed development;
(2) Intersections involving proposed public or non-public streets within the proposed development;
(3) The apex of the curve of any street, public or non-public, within the proposed development, having a radius of 300 feet or less;
(4) Cul-de-sac bulbs;
(5) Terminal ends of center median islands having concrete structure curbing, trees and/or other fixed objects not having breakaway design for speeds of 25 m.p.h. or greater;
(6) Defined pedestrian crossings located within the development.
(7) At other locations along the street as deemed necessary by the Borough.
B. Where lot sizes permit the parking of less than 3 vehicles on the residential lot, thereby necessitating on-street parking, street lighting shall be provided along the length of the street.
C. In multi-family developments, common parking areas shall be illuminated.
D. In residential developments with lots of less than 20,000 square feet, where 5 or more common contiguous parking spaces are proposed, such spaces shall be illuminated.
5. Plan Submission. For subdivision and land-development applications where site lighting is required by this Chapter, is otherwise required by the Borough or is proposed by applicant, lighting plans shall be submitted to the Borough for review and approval with preliminary and final subdivision/land development plan applications and conditional use applications and shall contain the following:
A. A plan or plans of the site, complete with all structures, parking spaces, building entrances, traffic areas (both vehicular and pedestrian), vegetation that might interfere with lighting, and adjacent uses that might be adversely impacted by the lighting. The lighting plan shall contain a layout of all proposed fixtures by location, orientation, aiming direction, mounting height and type. The submission shall include, in addition to proposed area lighting, all other exterior lighting, e.g., architectural, building-entrance, landscape, flag, sign, etc.
B. A 10'x10' illuminance grid (point-by-point) plot of maintained horizontal footcandles overlaid on the site plan, plotted out to 0.0 footcandles, which demonstrates compliance with the light trespass, intensity and uniformity requirements as set forth in this Chapter or as otherwise required by the Borough. When the scale of the plan makes a 10'x10' grid plot illegible, a larger grid spacing may be used.
C. The lamp lumen ratings and types, maintenance (light-loss) factors and IES file nomenclature used in calculating the illuminance levels.
D. Description of the proposed equipment, including fixture catalog cuts, photometries, glare reduction devices, lamps, on/off control devices, mounting heights, pole foundation details and mounting methods.
E. Landscaping plans shall contain lighting fixture locations and shall demonstrate that the site lighting and landscaping have been coordinated to minimize conflict between vegetation and intended light distribution, both initially and at vegetation maturity.
F. When requested by the Borough, applicant shall also submit a visual-impact plan that demonstrates appropriate steps have been taken to mitigate the potential consequences of on-site and off-site glare and to retain the intended character of the Borough. This plan may require the inclusion of initial vertical footcandle values at specific off-site venues, e.g., bedroom windows of adjacent residential uses.
G. Plan Notes - The following notes shall appear on the lighting plan:
(1) Post-approval alterations to lighting plans or intended substitutions for approved lighting equipment shall be submitted to the Borough for review and approval.
(2) The Borough reserves the right to conduct post-installation inspections to verify compliance with the Ordinance requirements and approved lighting plan commitments, and if deemed appropriate by the Borough, to require remedial action at no expense to the Borough.
(3) All exterior lighting shall meet IESNA full-cutoff criteria unless otherwise approved by the Borough.
6. Street Lighting Dedication.
A. When street lighting is to be dedicated to the Borough, applicant shall be responsible for all costs involved in the lighting of streets and street intersections until the street is accepted for dedication.
B. Prior to dedication and in the event of the formation of a homeowner’s association and/or property management declaration, Borough shall require said agency to enter into an agreement guaranteeing the Borough payment of all costs associated with dedicated street lighting.
C. Assumption of costs of dedicated street lighting. Upon dedication of public streets, the Borough shall assess the homeowners’ association, individual property owners, or corporations, as may be necessary to collect all revenues required that are directly or indirectly associated with all costs of each specific street lighting fixture. These costs shall include:
(1) Administration;
(2) Collection;
(3) Proration of non-payables;
(4) Actual utility electrical charges; and
(5) Maintenance and maintenance contracts for maintenance of fixtures and associated equipment.
(Ord. 614, 5/11/2015)