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According to a recent news flash on the Town of Greenwich website, the Greenwich Sustainability Committee, along with the Department of Planning & Zoning, the Conservation Commission, Lights Out CT, the Greenwich Audubon and the Connecticut chapter of Dark Sky, announced a discussion about the Town’s new regulations for outdoor nighttime lighting would be held on Wednesday, Sept 18, 2024, from 10:00-11:00am at the Town Hall Meeting Room, 101 Field Point Rd, Greenwich, and via Zoom (register here).
The new rules, which went into effect on March 27, 2024, “minimize light pollution while promoting energy efficiency and biodiversity, setting an example for other towns across Connecticut” says the Sustainability Committee.
Lights Out CT has called the passage of “the most comprehensive outdoor lighting law in the state of Connecticut” a major victory.
“By implementing these new lighting regulations, we are furthering the Towns’ goals to protect natural resources, reduce impacts to the environment, and the promoting best practices for sustainability and resiliency,” said Director of Greenwich P&Z Department, Patrick LaRow, who helped draft the new regulations.
It turns out new regulations for state-owned buildings were approved by the Connecticut legislature in 2023 under H.B. 6607, An Act Concerning The Nighttime Lighting Of State-Owned Buildings at Certain Times For The Protection Of Birds, now Public Act 23-143.
The regulations took effect on January 1, 2024, and basically say that for any state-owned building (except the Capitol in Hartford), nonessential outdoor lighting shall be turned off between the hours of eleven o'clock p.m. and six o'clock a.m.
Lights Out CT, along with left-leaning groups including several Connecticut Audubon groups, the Pollinator Pathway, the CT chapter of the Sierra Club Foundation, and others pushed for the new nighttime lighting regulations.
While Public Act 12-143 only impacts state-owned buildings, the Greenwich regulations go beyond that, and apply to residential properties as well.
The new regulations, now 14 pages long, include three pages of definitions, a series of tables to evaluate luminaire optical performance, and more. All outdoor lighting installed after the effective date of the new regulation must comply with the new rules.
The new residential rules detail the total light output allowed for sidewalks and pavement areas and the amount of “light trespass” allowed from one property to another. The rules restrict residential properties from using landscape uplights, including those that are installed within or at the base of planting. All outdoor luminaires on residential properties must also be fully shielded and cannot exceed the allowed lumen output defined per zone.
Other parts of the new regulations apply to residential courts and public/private commercial sports facilities not intended for television broadcast.
There are even requirements about lighting control and automatic lighting reduction.
Violations from these regulations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. If a resident has a concern that an installation violates the regulation, they may file a complaint with the Town’s Zoning Enforcement Officer.
Penalties for non-compliance with the requirements shall be pursuant to Greenwich Building Zone Regulations Section 6- 202.
A number of Greenwich residents expressed concern over reduced lighting at night, citing rising crime levels, safety concerns and a recent warning to Connecticut law enforcement about Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Others complained that environmental activists “keep trying to chip away at personal property rights” and pointed to recent examples like the ban on gas-powered leaf blowers and the proposal for a ‘private property tree commission.’
Let's hope these bird enthusiasts also tackle the issue of birds getting slaughtered in giant windmills every year, like the one just erected as part of Ørsted and Eversource’s Revolution Wind project.
Commie pieces of crap