For most of us, outdoor lighting is something we tend to only notice when it’s not there. But for astronomers, outdoor lighting done badly can be the bane of observational research, casting its glare into the atmosphere and sullying the nighttime view of the stars. At the County Planning Commission (www.albemarle.org) meeting on February 20, the conflict between lighting needs and lighting aesthetics will be on full display.
The UVA Foundation (www.uvafoundation.com), which develops real estate for the University, has applied for a lighting waiver for the next wave of construction at the North Fork Research Park off Route 29. County staff argues that the coach-style street lamps don’t fit the “full cut-off” definition, meaning that they cast light above the fixture and not just below it. This is the second time the UVA Foundation has come before the Planning Commission with a waiver request; they were denied a request in November and their redesigned lights still don’t meet the staff’s interpretation of the code.
Part of the UVA Foundation’s argument is aesthetic: They wish to match the lights that are currently in place. But of the lighting at North Fork, UVA astronomy Professor Emeritus Philip Ianna says, “It’s terribly glarey, things are overlit, and there’s very little shielded lighting. I think it’s just awful.”
That the County is arguing about this at all has a lot to do with Ianna, who 10 years ago successfully lobbied the County (and later the City) to establish lighting ordinances that help keep light out of the sky. But despite those successes, he’s often disappointed by UVA. During walking tours to encourage better lighting, most of Ianna’s bad examples come from the University. The only reason the North Fork Research Park is under County review is that its developed by the UVA Foundation.
Around the McCormick Observatory, UVA has a lighting overlay with stricter lighting guidelines than the rest of the campus. But sometimes projects slip through the cracks, like the Observatory Hill dining hall: It has bright bulbs shining light in all directions, and astronomers never got a say in the design. Astronomers hope the process will work better with the planned Observatory Hill dormitory.
“I can’t see any reason for not using full-cut off lights these days, there are so many available that are so good,” says astronomy Professor Ed Murphy. “It really comes down to the University working more closely with these lighting designers and demanding that we use full cut-off lights.”
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