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Home My WebLink AboutPWC Agenda 2023-10-17 and Packet AGENDA PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE October 17, 2023, 9:00 a.m. ZOOM Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81695207215 1. Approval of Minutes a. September 19, 2023 2. Member Comments/Concerns a. Consider Modifications to Agenda 3. Town Hall Weatherization Report Findings/Discussion- Dan 4. Project Updates a. Streetlight Policy Update – DePaolo 5. Communication a. Schedule a 2024 TB tour Policy for the Installation, Removal or Modification of Streetlights on Existing Rights-of-Way, Where Complete Streets Implementation is not Applicable DRAFT v5, 10/13/23 I. PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to standardize processes by which the Town of Ithaca determines streetlight installation, removal or modification on existing streets and publicly traversed rights of way, where the implementation of the Town’s Complete Streets Policy is not applicable. The policy is intended to provide an ongoing system for prioritizing future placement and usage of such streetlights, and outline a review procedure that will result in approval or denial of requests for streetlight installation, removal, relocation and modification. II. STATEMENT OF POLICY The purpose of street lighting is to improve the safety of multimodal traffic on publicly traversed rights of way. Outdoor lighting is a common feature in transportation corridors, though it can dominate the nightscape if not carefully considered; it is important to note that lighting is not warranted in all locations. Street lighting is not prioritized for the lighting of property over which the public does not possess transportation or pedestrian rights of way. Any perceived secondary benefit such as personal security, or the lighting of yards, driveways or private property, is considered coincidental. Residents and businesses shall be responsible for the installation, maintenance and costs associated with their streetlights, unless the Town has established access rights and maintenance responsibilities, either by dedication, written agreement or ongoing and historical use. Street lighting will be prioritized along corridors where increased lighting is most necessary for the safety of multimodal traffic. In general, locations likely to be considered the highest priority for street lighting include: a. Intersections b. Dangerous curves or significant changes in the roadway, horizontal or vertical. c. Street locations with a significant accident history. d. Busy pedestrian crossings and bicycle routes e. Locations where potentially hazardous or unsafe conditions have been identified. III. GUIDELINES FOR INSTALLATION Although the Town of Ithaca will consider a number of quantifiable factors, the installation or removal of streetlights is ultimately a discretionary action. When prioritizing new streetlight installation, relocation, removal or modification, the Town will consider the high-priority criteria identified above, and other factors, including, but not limited to: Corridor characteristics and complexity Traffic volume Pedestrian and bicycle activity level Night-time business activity Municipal and industry-standard engineering practices   Availability of existing poles   Potential light pollution and negative impacts to nearby residents   Input from affected Town of Ithaca residents and businesses Compliance with Town codes and ordinances   Consultation with law enforcement to determine additional safety factors   Cost of installation, removal, relocation or modification Energy usage and costs Town engineers and Public Works staff will, as needed, reference standards in IES RP- 8-xx, including those related to necessity, placement, height, brightness, and light dispersion of street lighting, and, if applicable, devise context-sensitive solutions. IV. APPLICATION AND REVIEW PROCESS The process for approval of the installation, removal, relocation, or modification of a streetlight or streetlights will begin as a Public Request, or as the result of an ongoing Town Review of Need. A. Public Request: 1. Requests for streetlight installation, removal, relocation or modification may be made by Town of Ithaca residents, business owners and institutions or other impacted persons, provided that the signatories to any subsequent petition reside in the Affected Area, as defined below. Any person requesting installation, removal, relocation or modification of a streetlight shall do so by submitting the attached application to the Town of Ithaca Clerk via mail or email: Town of Ithaca Clerk 215 North Tioga St. Ithaca, NY 14850 clerks@town.ithaca.ny.us 1(b) Petition Required for Areas with No Accident History or Pedestrian Safety Issues After an application for the installation, removal or modification of streetlights is made, the Town Engineer and/or Highway Superintendent, in consultation with the Director of Planning, will determine whether the requested work is infill in nature and, as such, covered by this policy, or whether it is to be considered within the parameters of the Town of Ithaca Complete Streets Policy. If covered by this streetlights policy, the Town Engineer will request a petition from the applicant if an initial analysis of the accident history or other safety issues does not warrant bypassing the petition process. In the absence of compelling evidence of an existing hazard, a petition must be submitted to provide evidence of general support for the change in order to minimize the expenditure of Town of Ithaca resources on requests that are not widely supported. Petitions must be signed by at least 60% of the property owners of record in the Affected Area, determined as follows: (% of frontage, instead of residents?) New Streetlights Petition respondents will be the owners of properties located within an area that encompasses one-half the distance between the proposed new streetlights and existing street light locations on either side of the proposed new streetlight. Using the aforementioned criteria, the Affected Area defining potential petition respondents will be delineated by the Town Engineer or designated staff. If practical, the location of any proposed new streetlight will be on a property line as close as possible to one-half the distance between existing streetlight(s). Streetlight Removal or Modification Petition respondents will be the owners of properties located within an area that encompasses one-half the distance between the streetlight(s) proposed for removal or modification, and existing streetlight(s) on either side of the proposed action that are not part of the application. The Affected Area defining potential petition respondents will be delineated by the Town Engineer or designated staff. 2. Once an application is deemed complete with the submission of a petition to the Town Clerk as detailed above (if required), the Town Engineer in collaboration with the Highway Superintendent will evaluate the application, and prepare a summary report of the characteristics, accident history, and safety considerations of the location. The report and supportive materials shall be submitted to the Public Works Committee for review, and forwarded with a recommendation to the Town Board, which will make a determination on the application. In determining the viability of an application, Town Staff will reference the Town of Ithaca Lighting Areas table and map to help assess the appropriateness of a request. 3. If the request is approved, the Highway Superintendent will facilitate the installation, removal, relocation or modification of the streetlight(s) in coordination with all relevant parties. The timeline for executing an approved application is determined by the Town, and is subject to change, based on factors including funding, right-of-way research, and coordination with governments, utility companies and contractors. If the request is denied, the denial and determinative findings will be indicated in writing to the applicant. B. Town Review of Need 1. The Highway Superintendent and Town Engineer may identify potential streetlight needs determined through observation and input from staff, and will conduct an evaluation of the locations, and prepare a summary report of the characteristics, accident history, and safety considerations of the location. The report shall be submitted to the Public Works Committee for review. 2. If the Public Works Committee recommends an action involving the installation, removal, relocation or modification of a streetlight, it will forward the recommendation and related materials to the Town Board for consideration. V. EQUIPMENT 1. The summary report issued in conjunction with a valid streetlight application or ongoing Town Review of Need will recommend equipment details, including luminaire type, wattage, mounting height, light distribution pattern (including shielding, if recommended), and any other relevant details. 2. To minimize glare and light pollution, new streetlights will comply with the Town of Ithaca Code, Chapter 173, “Outdoor Lighting.” The Town will source the most energy efficient technology that addresses the safety objectives of the streetlight, while attempting to achieve aesthetic consistency within lighting character areas, as defined by the Town of Ithaca Lighting Areas table and map. 3. If practicable, color temperature will be 3,000 degrees Kelvin or lower. Consideration will be made to limiting light dispersion to the area required to enhance safety, while minimizing the illumination of neighboring properties as much as possible. VI. SITING 1. The location of any proposed new infill streetlights will be as close to one-half the distance between existing streetlights as is practical. 2. Existing poles shall be used whenever possible for new streetlights. In the event that an application for a streetlight necessitates a new pole, property lines will not be used as the basis for determining streetlight spacing, but consideration will be given to minimal spacing adjustment if it will result in property line placement, as long as safety objectives are not compromised.  3. After a streetlight has been decommissioned, poles deemed unnecessary will be considered for removal. VII. INSTALLATION STANDARDS All installations, removals and modifications of Town streetlights in publicly traversed rights of way over which the Town has established access rights and maintenance responsibilities, either by dedication, written agreement or historical and ongoing use, shall be carried out by a licensed electrician employed or contracted by the Town of Ithaca. Street lighting installations, removals, or modifications proposed for rights of way over which the Town has not established access rights and maintenance responsibilities, shall be designed and implemented in conformity with this policy by private contractors, to specifications determined by the Town. IX. MAINTENANCE STANDARDS Streetlights shall be maintained and repaired as soon as reasonably possible to ensure public safety.  All maintenance of Town streetlights shall be carried out by a licensed electrician employed or contracted by the Town. The Town shall maintain an official map of the location of the Town’s streetlights and a corresponding list of the fixtures and wattage of those streetlights. This official map, and the Town of Ithaca Lighting Areas map referenced above shall be reviewed periodically, and updated as needed. Definition Recommended uses 0 No ambient lighting Areas where natural environment will be seriously and adversely affected by lighting. Effects include disturbing biological cycles of flora and fauna and/or detracting from human enjoyment and appreciation of natural environment. Human activity is subordinate in importance to nature. Vision of human residents and users is adapted to darkness, and they expect to see little or no lighting. When not needed, lighting should be extinguished. Typically includes undeveloped areas of open space, wilderness parks and preserves, areas near astronomical observatories, or any other area where protection of dark environment is critical. 1 Low ambient lighting Areas where lighting might harm flora and fauna or disturb character of area. Vision of human residents and users is adapted to low light levels. Lighting may be used for safety and convenience but is not necessarily uniform or continuous. After curfew, most lighting should be extinguished or reduced as activity levels decline. Typically includes single- and two-family residential communities, rural town centers, business parks, and other commercial, industrial, orstorage areas with limited nighttime activity. May also include developed areas in parks and other natural settings. 2 Moderate ambient lighting Areas of human activity where vision of human residents and users is adapted to moderate light levels. Lighting may typically be used for safety and convenience but is not necessarily uniform or continuous. After curfew, lighting may be extinguished or reduced as activity levels decline. Typically includes multifamily residential uses, institutional residential uses, schools, churches, hospitals, hotels, motels, and commercial or businesses areas with evening activities in predominately residential areas. Also includes neighborhood recreational and playing fields, and mixed-use development with predominance of residential uses. 3 Moderately high ambient lighting Areas of human activity where vision of human residents and users is adapted to moderately high light levels. Lighting is generally desired for safety, security and/or convenience and it is often uniform and/or continuous. After curfew, lighting may be extinguished or reduced in most areas as activity levels decline. Typically includes commercial corridors, high-intensity suburban commercial areas, town centers, mixed-use areas, industrial uses and shipping and rail yards with high nighttime activity. Also includes high-use recreational and playing fields, regional shopping malls, car dealerships, gas stations, and other nighttime active exterior retail areas. 4 High ambient lighting Areas of human activity where vision of human residents and users is adapted to high light levels. Lighting is generally considered necessary for safety, security and/or convenience and it is mostly uniform and/or continuous. After curfew, lighting may be extinguished or reduced in some areas as activity levels decline. Areas of very high ambient lighting levels, used only for special cases and not appropriate for most cities. May be used for extremely unusual installations such as high-density entertainment districts and heavy industrial uses. (Currently only Times Square has this classification in the U.S.) * Adapted from Model Lighting Ordinance User Guide. Lighting area Town of Ithaca lighting areas* ´ Town of Ithaca Lighting Areas Draft October 12, 2023 0 0.5 1 1.50.25 Miles Map Produced by Town of Ithaca Planning Department Data: Town of Ithaca Planning Department and Tompkins County Information Technology Services GIS Division Hayts Rd Mecklenburg Rd Bostwick Rd Danby RdCo d d i n g t o n Rd Slaterville R d D r y d e n R d Hanshaw Rd E lm ir a R d City of Ithaca Village of Cayuga Heights Town of DanbyTown of NewfieldTown of EnfieldTown of Ulysses Village of Lansing Town of DrydenL0 L0 L0 L0 L1 L1 L1 L1 L2 L2 L2 L2 L3 L3 L3 Streetlight Lighting Areas L0 - No Ambient Lighting L1 - Low Ambient Lighting L2 - Moderate Ambient Lighting L3 - Moderately High Ambient Lighting