News Analysis: Dark skies helps seal 7-0 vote in favor of Flagstaff regional plan

Adding back language on dark skies, downtown parking and pedestrians preceded the Flagstaff City Councils unanimous approval Tuesday of the Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030.

The first issues were concerns by Paul Shankland, the director of the U.S. Naval Observatory, and Jeff Hall, the director of the Lowell Observatory, about language that appeared to water down the citys dark skies ordinance.

During its Dec. 17 meeting, council removed language from the plan that would restrict economic activity centers in any area designated as Lighting Zone 1 and enforce dark sky ordinances.

Lighting Zone 1 areas are located near the observatories have the citys strictest regulations on outdoor lighting.

Shankland, Hall and Chris Luginbuhl, also from the U.S. Naval Observatory, explained that removing the language might allow multiple development in the Zone 1 areas with outdoor lighting that could have a cumulative effect on degrading visibility for the observatories.

Mayor Jerry Nabours pointed out that the regional plan was not changing the citys dark sky ordinance and development in those areas would still have to follow the lighting regulations. The language was removed because the city didnt want to prohibit all development in the area, he said, and because it made it sound like the city wasnt enforcing its dark sky ordinance.

Councilwoman Celia Barotz pointed out that the lighting code didnt deal with land use. Were not concerned about the overall intent of the plan but the subtle impact of removing the language, Shankland said.

Luginbuhl described the citys dark sky philosophy as a three-legged stool made up of land use regulations, the lighting code and enforcement measures.

A shopping center could follow all of the lighting code regulations, but its proximity to an observatory could degrade visibility around the observatory, he said. Another possible problem would be multiple shopping centers or subdevelopments being approved for an area, all in compliance with the lighting code, but the cumulative effect of their outdoor night lighting could also degrade the skies.

It might seem superficial, but this is a world-leading lighting code and having it in the plan demonstrates the citys specific intentions, Hall said.

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News Analysis: Dark skies helps seal 7-0 vote in favor of Flagstaff regional plan