The Town of Vienna is looking to further illuminate its regulations for outdoor lighting after adopting new standards last year with a comprehensive zoning code overhaul.
The town’s Department of Planning and Zoning will hold two information sessions tomorrow (Wednesday) — one geared toward local businesses and the other for residents — to share its plans for updating the rules and gather feedback.
The business-centered meeting will take place from 2-4 p.m., while the session for residents is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Both sessions will be held in person in the Vienna Police Department’s community room at 215 Center Street South, though they can also be attended virtually via Zoom.
“Prior to adopting Code Create in 2023, which updated zoning requirements in Town code for the first time in more than 50 years, there were few lighting regulations in town,” the Town of Vienna said in a press release. “Now, work is underway to develop better, clearer rules for outdoor lighting for properties throughout Vienna.”
Curious about new outdoor lighting-code regulations? Want to learn more and provide feedback? Come to an information session at the Police Community Room (215 Center St. S) on Wednesday, Nov. 6!
1. Businesses: 2-4 p.m.
2. Residents: 6-8 p.m.Details: https://t.co/TO2p0wH4pU. pic.twitter.com/v4m1jy4Ztx
— Town of Vienna, VA (@TownofViennaVA) November 4, 2024
The updated zoning code, which was adopted on Oct. 23, 2023 and took effect at the beginning of 2024, established outdoor lighting standards for all uses for the first time, including for residential properties, parking lots, athletic fields and sidewalks.
Prior to that, the town only had a handful of regulations dictating lighting for signs and the height of lights in parking lots, according to a staff report on the Code Create revisions.
The new standards address the types of lighting allowed for specific zones and properties, fixture heights, where they can be located on a particular site and other considerations. For instance, lights on commercial properties next to housing must now have opaque shielding, and lights for athletic facilities have to be turned off by 11 p.m.
However, some details, such as brightness levels, went unaddressed. At the suggestion of the Vienna Planning Commission, town staff recommended hiring an expert consultant to help refine the new outdoor lighting standards, according to a summary of zoning issues flagged for further review that the town council first discussed in February.
Other items that weren’t fully resolved by the Code Create update included parking requirements and rules for accessory living units (ALUs), which would allow residents to offer a secondary home on their property.
A draft zoning amendment to regulate ALUs is currently under review. Under the proposal, ALUs could be approved administratively without a public hearing if they’re up to 800 square feet in size, or 40% of the primary residence’s floor area (whichever is smaller), have no more than two bedrooms and are subject to a rental term of at least 30 days.
The town’s Board of Zoning Appeals could approve a conditional use permit for ALUs that are over 800 square feet but no more than 1,000 square feet. All units will be required to have at least one on-site parking space per bedroom on top of the spaces required for the principal residence.
After discussing the proposed ALU amendment at a work session on Oct. 29, the planning commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing next Wednesday, Nov. 13.
