Bath Supervisors Approve Outdoor Lighting Ordinance

Warm Springs, VA – The Bath Board of Supervisors approved an outdoor lighting ordinance at its monthly meeting Tuesday night, with a couple of Board members feeling it still needs more work.

The outdoor lighting ordinance establishes standards for business and industrial zoning that would reduce the impacts of glare, light trespass and over lighting. The ordinance will apply to new businesses and renovations of existing businesses.

Supervisor Claire Collins asked why the regulations were being proposed as an ordinance and not as a revision to land use regulations. County Planner and Zoning Administrator Sherry Ryder responded that the regulations can be included in both and that the Planning Commission was following the direction of the previous Board of Supervisors, which asked for a simple ordinance. Supervisor Collins offered some amendments to be added as a revision to the land use regulations.

Those included having light measured at property lines, including additional zoning categories that have potential for business development, addressing exemptions, and addressing compliance for renovations. Supervisor Collins made a motion to approve the amendments she suggested for land use regulations, but it died for lack of a second.

Supervisor Bruce McWilliams said he felt uncomfortable moving into land use regulations and said something needed to be in place to provide protection, since Bath County currently had no regulations on outdoor lighting.

Supervisor Kevin Fry said he supported the ordinance and endorsed it and he agreed that Supervisor Collins made a good point in wanting to include it in land use. Supervisor Bart Perdue said he felt the outdoor lighting ordinance was unnecessary.

Board chair Cliff Gilchrest said he felt something should be passed and then the Board should plan to have more conversations with the Planning Commission to see what the light measurements are. He said he agreed with Supervisor Collins that more defined parameters are needed and said the ordinance will need to be fine tuned in the future.

The board voted to adopt the proposed ordinance as presented by the Planning Commission. The vote was three to two, with Supervisors Collins and Perdue voting no.