Revelstokians will be seeing more exterior lighting downtown.
After more than a year of the bureaucratic process, the Revelstoke Credit Union (RCU) is preparing to move forward with its plan to install LED exterior lighting on its two locations at 110 Second Street West and 201 Victoria Street West.
Council gave approval on April 10 for RCU to move forward on the development permits, despite city staff recommending that council deny RCU’s proposal.
The objection from staff pertained to the dark sky policies outlined in the Official Community Plan.
The International Dark Sky Association crafts public policy to promote dark skies in the hopes of reducing the consumption of energy and protecting the environment.
Based on those policies, Revelstoke’s OCP “encourages developments to use directional lighting that minimizes unneeded lights during the day and night.”
Roberta Bobicki, credit union CEO, said the idea behind installation of exterior lighting is to improve visibility in the winter.
“We’re a resort community,” said Bobicki, in pleading with council to move forward with the development permit application. “How can we turn the lights off?”
“In the winter by 4 p.m., it’s pitch black. We thought some soft friendly lighting around the top of the building would be something nice.”
The recommendation to deny the request comes after two other requests had been approved by council to allow exterior lighting.
The first was approved in 2015 for the Best Western and the second was approved in 2016 for the Regent Hotel.
Coun. Connie Brothers said the staff position is unfair, recommending the city work on developing a better OCP policy, while Coun. Trevor English said he also was not prepared to support the staff recommendation.
Mayor Mark McKee said the applicant has made a number of concessions and worked with city staff on the project, adding he has always been supportive of increased city lighting at night.
“Lights may or may not make the community safer,” said McKee. “But they make people feel safer, and they make people feel more welcome.”
He said it has taken a year to get to this point which he called unfair to the credit union.
Couns. Scott Duke and Linda Nixon were supportive of the staff recommendation.
Nixon noted both the environment committee and heritage committee have not been asked about the application, and if the proposal does proceed she recommended no further ones do until the OCP review and the community is consulted.
She said we live on the boundaries of two national parks, noting such a request within a national park would not move forward.
“We have nothing guiding us and we are just making an ad-hoc decision because we don’t have policies in place,” said Duke. “Our OCP, what we do have, says we don’t want to pollute the skies.”
Coun. Gary Sulz along with English, Brothers and McKee voted against the motion to deny the permit application.
Coun. Aaron Orlando recused himself from the conversation due to a business relationship with the applicant.
Council also approved a motion to reconsider the dark sky policy in the upcoming OCP review.
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