Dark Sky Friendly

As it states in the Architectural Guidelines:

One of the gifts offered to the guests and residents of The Galena Territory Is the beauty of our night sky. Very bright, harsh exterior lighting is not in keeping with this concept of our night sky enjoyment and can be offensive to neighboring properties. The Architectural Guidelines seek to find a balance between this vista and everyone’s safety and enjoyment. Farm lights, flood lights, and high intensity security lights will not be approved. Post lights should not exceed 6’ in height to the top of light fixture, and the light source must be directed downward and of sufficiently low wattage (450 lumens or 40 watts incandescent maximum) to reduce glare. Direct glare shall be minimized through the use of sufficient shrouding or opaque glass so that the light bulb is not visible through the glass and cannot exceed 450 lumens (40 watt incandescent). No fixtures with clear glass lenses will be approved.

As a certified Dark Sky Friendly Development of Distinction, as honored by the International Dark Sky Association, one of the gifts offered to the guests and residents of The Galena Territory is the beauty of our night sky. Bright, harsh exterior lighting is not in keeping with this concept and can be offensive to neighboring properties. The Architectural Guidelines seek to find a balance between this aesthetic concept and everyone’s safety. Farm lights, flood lights, and high intensity security lights will not be approved. Post lights should not exceed 6’ in height to the top of the light fixture, and the light source must be directed downward and of sufficiently low wattage (450 lumens or 40 watts incandescent or 5 watts LED maximum) to reduce glare.

Direct glare shall be minimized through the use of shrouding or opaque glass so that the light bulb is not visible through the glass. No fixtures with a visible bulb will be approved.

Edison bulb string lights may be installed under covered areas such as under a roof line or beneath a deck. The string lights may not exceed the maximum lumens rating or be more than a combined equivalent of a 5 watt LED bulb (450 lumens).

General Requirements: All exterior lights are to follow “lights on” at or near dusk and “lights off” at 1 a.m. Motion sensor lights can remain ready for use at all hours and eliminate the need to manually control on and off timing, therefore the use of motion sensor lights is strongly encouraged. Solar or low voltge (150 lumens or a 2 watts LED or less) lights can remain on from dusk to dawn, provided they meet the above lighting requirements.

All night lighting in the form of solar and low voltage lights is permissible for safety purposes only (i.e. walkways, driveways & stairs). Strategic, maximum spacing is required; no overlapping of the illuminated area should take place. Residents should use warmer hues of yellow and soft white natural lights. The use of colored bulbs in permanent exterior fixtures (including solar fixtures) is prohibited. The use of lights as landscape and architectural accents is not allowed. All-night outside illumination other than solar and low voltage lighting is not permitted.

The ARC’s lighting goal is to educate residents and gain cooperation in installing motion sensors to replace all-night lights and to reduce the glare and wattage on bright outside lights. Maximum wattage for any outdoor light is 40 watts for incandescent or 5 watt LED, unless otherwise noted. The ARC office has a number of examples of approved dark-sky fixtures (including solar lighting instruments) and flood light shields available for purchase. If you have concerns about a lighting issue in your neighborhood, please contact the Architectural Review office at 815-777-2000 ext. 143.
 

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Why should we be concerned? Good outdoor lights improve visibility, safety and sense of security, while minimizing energy use, operating costs, and glare. Many outdoor lights are poorly designed or improperly aimed and can be costly, wasteful, and distracting 

How do I switch to good lighting? 
1. Provide only enough light for the task.
2.  Choose full-cutoff shielded fixtures that keep light aim lights down.
3. Install fixtures carefully to maximize their effectiveness on the targeted area and minimize their impact elsewhere. 
4. Choose energy-efficient low pressure sodium (LPS) or high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps whenever yellowish light will do the job.
5. Where feasible, put lights on a motion detector switch.