Title
Proposed Update to Land Development Code Regarding Lighting for Vehicular Parking (NB)
This item proposes modifications to Section 30-330 and Section 30-345 of the Land Development Code regarding design requirements for vehicle parking and general performance standards.
Explanation
Recently, staff has been in contact with representatives of the Northside Shopping Center and Winn Dixie located on the northwest corner of N. Main Street and Northeast 23rd Avenue regarding proposed plans to upgrade the shopping center and vehicular parking area.
Based upon an initial staff review, it appears that the proposed site improvements (resurfacing of parking areas and associated re-striping; provision of landscaping and irrigation; and lighting) can be reviewed via a minor administrative site plan submission and related construction drawings.
One improvement that staff believes will need to be addressed through a more systematic Code modification approach is that of the proposed site lighting package. This would need to be done in order to balance the current lighting needs of private industry with the potential community nuisance considerations that sometimes accompany the provision of site lighting.
The current provisions of the Land Development Code seem to address such nuisance considerations as glare, light trespass (light that crosses the property line) and light pollution/Dark Sky (light that goes up into the sky) through several mechanisms. These include: lighting pole mounting heights limited to 30 feet; pole mounted lighting being required to meet IES (Our code uses IESNA, Illuminating Engineering Society of North America but many people use just IES) standards for sharp cut-off; and, applicants must demonstrate that light levels produced by proposed site lighting do not exceed 0.5 footcandles at all property lines abutting residential properties and 1.0 footcandles at property lines abutting commercial properties.
However, there is a current requirement that the average maximum footcandles not exceed 2.5 footcandles across the site even in those instances where the nuisance considerations as related above around the perimeter of the site are being addressed. Currently, the industry is seeking a minimum of 5.0 footcandles or more within the parking field and the current Land Development Code requirement could be placing the community at a competitive disadvantage.
With respect to the specific Northside Shopping Center and Winn Dixie site, this issue may have ramifications for the proposed redevelopment.
Fiscal Note
No fiscal impact.
Recommendation
The City Commission: 1) hear a presentation from staff; 2) if deemed appropriate, direct staff to initiate a Petition to the Plan Board to modify applicable components of Sec. 30-330 and Sec. 30-345 of the Land Develoopment Code.