Light Pollution a Problem in Chestnut Hill, Committee Says

The Chestnut Hill Community Association Development Review Committee said it would continue to look into new lighting options for parking lots in Chestnut Hill.

“I guarantee that these lights in these parking lots are wildly out of compliance, “ said committee chair Lawrence McEwen.  “With these current lights, people can read in their backyard.”

According to the current code, lights from a parking lot are not supposed to fall on a residential property. 

The Development Review Committee has recommended that the Chestnut Hill Parking Foundation hire a lighting consultant to come up with a forward thinking solution.

‘These lighting fixtures are used throughout the parking lots all over Chestnut Hill,” McEwen said.  “Many communities around the country are re-lamping and saving a ton of money.  This could represent on-going savings.”

“I believe that the consultant will come up with a solution that will be easily scalable,” said committee member John Landis.

McEwen added that the consultant would cost $250 at the most. 

“I’m sure that these lights were state of the art in the ‘70s,” McEwen said. 

McEwen added, “These lots are supposed to act as a breathing space between the commercial corridor of Germantown Avenue and the residential area.   So having light spill into the residential areas is not something we want.”