- Jun 5, 2000
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9news.com news story
BOULDER - Boulder city residents and business owners will eventually have to change thousands of outdoor light bulbs.
The city council voted Tuesday night to require softer white lights. The ordinance is designed to decrease light pollution. The softer lights are intended to reduce glare and bar bright lights from spilling into the sky or onto adjacent property.
People in the area are praising it saying it will also improve the view of stars in the area.
"We don't tell people they should leave the city to see trees," said Andrea Schweitzer, a member of the Southwest Research Institute and astronomer with the Little Thompson Observatory in Berthoud.
Some commercial property owners, car dealerships and real-estate interests criticized the ordinance, saying it will cost them money.
Jeff Wingert of the property management and development firm W.W. Reynolds Co., estimated that one 3-year-old industrial building the company owns in Boulder will need $70,000 in upgrades to conform to the rules.
Existing exterior lights that do not meet the new requirements will have to be changed by 2018.
For homeowners, the new rules will require replacement of unshaded bulbs and clear glass covers on outdoor lights. Outdoor bulbs on houses will have to be 65 watts or less.
Councilman Tom Eldridge cast the lone dissenting vote, saying he was sympathetic with the expenses that residents and businesses will incur.
With the approval, Boulder joined an increasing number of governments around the country trying to improve the view of stars. In Colorado, Boulder County, Denver, Colorado Springs, Durango, Eagle and Douglas County are either considering or have adopted similar rules.
BOULDER - Boulder city residents and business owners will eventually have to change thousands of outdoor light bulbs.
The city council voted Tuesday night to require softer white lights. The ordinance is designed to decrease light pollution. The softer lights are intended to reduce glare and bar bright lights from spilling into the sky or onto adjacent property.
People in the area are praising it saying it will also improve the view of stars in the area.
"We don't tell people they should leave the city to see trees," said Andrea Schweitzer, a member of the Southwest Research Institute and astronomer with the Little Thompson Observatory in Berthoud.
Some commercial property owners, car dealerships and real-estate interests criticized the ordinance, saying it will cost them money.
Jeff Wingert of the property management and development firm W.W. Reynolds Co., estimated that one 3-year-old industrial building the company owns in Boulder will need $70,000 in upgrades to conform to the rules.
Existing exterior lights that do not meet the new requirements will have to be changed by 2018.
For homeowners, the new rules will require replacement of unshaded bulbs and clear glass covers on outdoor lights. Outdoor bulbs on houses will have to be 65 watts or less.
Councilman Tom Eldridge cast the lone dissenting vote, saying he was sympathetic with the expenses that residents and businesses will incur.
With the approval, Boulder joined an increasing number of governments around the country trying to improve the view of stars. In Colorado, Boulder County, Denver, Colorado Springs, Durango, Eagle and Douglas County are either considering or have adopted similar rules.
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