Serving
the following Southern Arizona Communities:
Editorial
Let there be
light--within reason
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Has the lighting code saga in Sahuarita come to a
positive end? You decide.
In a 6-1 vote Monday night, the Town Council in Sahuarita granted a code
modification to the developers of Madera Marketplace, which includes the new
The developers made an about-face, backing away
from their previously staked position that they couldn't possibly operate the
stores safely without using at least 108,000 per acre.
A lumen is a measure of light emitted from a fixture and basically we doubt if
anyone except a lighting expert and the astronomers at the Whipple Observatory
can tell the difference between 108,000 lumens per acre and 60,000 per acre.
The Whipple Observatory agreed to the 60,000 lumen limit, noting that "a
proper design needs more lumens than the code allows in this instance."
Reasons cited include the fact that the site contains two banks with ATMs and
that the "Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA)
recommends higher levels at those machines for security."
Other reasons Whipple gave for agreeing to the developers' request to exceed
the code include the following: "The Walgreens is a prescription pharmacy
open until at least
Also, Whipple said, "the Wal-Mart is a 24-hour-a-day operation. IESNA
recommends somewhat higher lighting levels here for security."
Dan Brocious of the Whipple Observatory came to the following conclusion in a
letter to Sahuarita's mayor and Town Council.
"The cumulative effect of the shape of the parcel, the store pad
positions, several locations where more light is
appropriate and the 24-hour store operation raise the amount of light needed
above the limit in the code.
"The town had now established a procedure by which any future builder
wishing a lighting modification will know that he/she must show real cause by
submitting a lighting plan drafted to the intent of the (town) Code. While the
observatory always prefers the least amount of light be used in outdoor
applications in order to preserve the quality of science done here, we all want
night-time lighting to be adequate to the task," Brocious wrote.
"Granting Evergreen Development's request to implement this lighting
design should serve the shoppers and community well and be an example of good
outdoor lighting," he concluded.
If Whipple can live with the higher limits and the Town Council can live with
them, we rest our case. Our major concern was light pollution of the dark skies
that make
But with a proviso. As we've said, the average person
has no clue about whether the lighting at the proposed new shopping center
exceeds 60,000 per acre. If it does, it will up to the town to enforce that
limit.
We hope the Whipple Observatory will monitor the lighting levels, too, in their
own best interest as well as in the interest of community service, which they
have provided on a volunteer basis in this whole situation, along with Hy
Kaplan, who chairs a city/county outdoor lighting task force.
La Joya Verde residents who live close to the shopping center were skeptical
about the process and with good reason.
We have no doubt that they will be vigilant in ensuring that the developer does
indeed observe the limits agreed to and report any suspected infraction to the
town promptly for action.
The developers got the break they sought in the interest of public safety. Now
it's up to the town to make sure the developers live up to their part of the
bargain.
©2004 Green Valley News & Sun