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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3271 Related to Engineering Design Standards; Adopting Standards for Street Lighting; Replacing the Interim Regulations Adopted in Ordinance 3255 Ordinance 3271 Page I of 2 ORDINANCE NO. 3271 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND, WASHINGTON, RELATED TO ENGINEERING DESIGN STANDARDS; ADOPTING STANDARDS FOR STREET LIGHTING; REPLACING THE INTERIM REGULATIONS ADOPTED IN ORDINANCE 3255 RECITALS A. The City Council enacted Ordinance 2578 on April 21, 1997. Part of that ordinance, codified as Section 12.04.040, adopted the City's Engineering Design Standards ("EDS"), B, Chapter 6, Section 30 of the EDS addresses Street and Trail Illumination. Specifically, Section 30.e.ii states that"all street lights are to be equipped with high pressure sodium vapor lighting and lighting shields to control `light pollution."' C, Since the adoption of this standard in 1997, the City's Climate Action Committee has recommended switching to light-emitting diode ("LED") lights to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions through lower energy use. D. Currently, most of the City's street lights are owned by Jefferson County Public Utility District No. 1 ("PUD"). The PUD is transitioning to LEDs because they use less electricity and have a longer life, which reduces maintenance costs. Under the PUD rate schedule, the City switch to LEDs reduces the monthly cost to the City. E. On August 21, 2017 City Council adopted an interim street light policy directing the use of LED lights for new and replacement street lights. On October 9, 2019. the interim policy was extended for one year and was again extended for one year on October 19, 2020. F. Staff prepared the attached street light standards that call for LED light fixtures and preserving the dark night sky to replace the interim standard. NOW, THEREFORE, The City Council of the City of Port Townsend, Washington, do ordain as follows: mcc bort ]. Chapter 6, Section 30.e.ii of the Engineering Design Standards adopted in PTMC 12.04.040 is replaced with the Street Lighting Policy in substantially the same form as Exhibit A. Section 2. Svc bii,ti�t: . If any section, sentence, clause or phrase of this Ordinance should be held to be unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity or unconstitutionality shall not affect the validity or constitutionality of any other section, sentence, clause or phrase of this Ordinance. Section 3. Publication. This Ordinance shall be published by an approved summary consisting of the title. Ordinance 3271 Page 2 of 2 Section 6. Effective Date, This Ordinance shall take effect five days after publication. ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Port Townsend, Washington, at a regular meeting thereof, held this 16th day of August 2021. lgelle Sandoval Mayor Attest: Approved as to Form: Joanna Sanders, MMC i r I 0(I City Clerk City Attorney Ordinance 3271 Exhibit A Page 1 of 2 EXHIBIT A STREET LIGHT POLICY Dark Sky Initiative, Energy Conservation, Safety, and a Quality of Life Strategy 1. Existing Street Lights As high pressure sodium (HPS) street lamps are replaced with energy efficient LED lights, the Public Works Department will evaluate existing street light installations in consideration of dark sky impacts, energy use and costs. This may result in removal of streetlights from service in residential neighborhoods consistent with the following criteria: a. The City and the PUD will work together to determine desired temperature, wattage, diffusers and shielding that will minimize glare and light trespass and also consider the color rendering characteristics of the lamp for replacement of existing HPS lights. b. Desired height is 15-20 feet to minimize light trespass. Light elevation on PUD poles may be driven by codes concerning spacing from wires and communication cables. c. Removal of existing lights may be considered under the following circumstances i. Where lighting on private property provides adequate light ii. The street light primarily serves private premises iii. A street light is duplicative of existing lights. iv. On residential streets where spacing to the next light is less than 400 feet in all directions. d. Dimming lights and installation of shields may occur only where light glare and trespass is excessive and where such modifications do not adversely impact other properties and the effectiveness of lighting the street. Dimming the streetlight will be the first priority over installation of shields. 2. Street Light Specifications a. All new and replacement street lights shall be LED with a minimum of a 10 year warranty. Lights shall be International Dark Sky Compliant. The current standard for LED lights is a temperature of 3,000 K or less. The City and PUD will coordinate regarding light standards based on reasonable availability and quality of light. The standard may be adjusted over time as technology continues to change. N b. Lights shall be capable of utilizing diffusers and shields. Lights shall be dimmable and programmable. 3. New lighting on Arterials and Major Collectors a. All City collector and arterial street improvement projects shall be evaluated for the appropriate lighting level. The design for lighting collectors arterials will Ordinance 3271 Exhibit A Page 2 of 2 consider lighting levels for pedestrian and traffic safety, location(including zoning), funding availability, impact on neighborhoods, and the goal of minimizing light pollution and number of lights. 4. Downtown Street Lights a. New street lights shall be installed with LED lamps. Poles and fixtures shall be consistent standard with existing light standards. 5. The priority for installation of new lights shall be a. On existing major collectors and arterials where there are specific areas of safety concerns. b. At significant pedestrian crosswalks c. In residential neighborhoods where a safety issue is demonstrated. Lighting requests will be evaluated against the goals of Dark Skies, Energy Conservation, and Safety. Installation of new lights is discouraged and will not be installed, unless a traveling public safety concern is demonstrated to be an actual versus U perceived concern as demonstrated by qLi Miq rmmiltg �,twt dya l t I � t cAy. Street lights will not be installed based on security safety concerns for private property. d. Any new lights shall meet the standards established cooperatively by the PUD and the City as detailed in Section 2 of this policy 6. New Residential streets and New Developments (subdivisions and PUD) a. Provide lighting at the intersection of the development with arterials or collectors b. Lighting for single family residential neighborhood streets shall be LED in conformance with above policies and utilize city standard fixtures with a target spacing of 400 feet or more. Pedestrian scale lights shall be used whenever possible. c. Publicly owned lights shall meet the standards established cooperatively by the PUD and the City as detailed in Section 2 of this policy d. Collectors and arterials that are required for and installed by new developments shall include street light installation. The lighting shall be designed to established lighting levels for that street classification (typically 0.2 to 1.2 foot-candles). 7. Waivers a. Waivers to these policies may be granted by the Public Works Director in conformance with Chapter 12 of the PTMC when these policies are not applicable to a particular lighting situation.