VIRGINIA BEACH — Bright lights are great for security. They are less great when shining directly into a person’s window.
The Planning Commission approved a change to an illumination ordinance Wednesday to shield residents from bright lights invading their homes. The expanded restriction would apply only to future projects.
City code already requires business owners to keep light from their parking lots and loading areas from adjacent properties in residential, apartment and hotel districts. But the rule didn’t apply in mixed-use districts, including parts of the Oceanfront, where residential and hotel developments may also spring up around businesses. That meant some apartment dwellers weren’t protected from the glare.
The number of mixed-use districts in Virginia Beach is rising, a planning staff report said. They include the Historic Kempsville Area Mixed Use District and the Central Business Core District.
If approved by City Council, the new ordinance would require new businesses to shield their parking and loading area lights from residential and hotel properties in mixed-use districts. It won’t affect existing businesses, only future developments, Current Planning Coordinator Karen Lasley said.
“We have a lot of new mixed-use development coming into those areas,” Lasley said. “We’ll make it better. We try to learn from where things go wrong to improve.”
Joe DaBiero, president of the Virginia Beach Hotel Association, said bright lights flooding onto a residential building could have a big effect on its atmosphere.
“If it’s a constant white or red light shining through your window, it kind of sets the tone of your personal space,” DaBeiro said. “And I think that needs to be taken into consideration for your neighbors.”
City Council is set to hear the amendment June 7.
