Lights out in Barrington Hills? The debate nearing next stage

Some resolution is likely nearing in a nine-month battle over a proposed Barrington Hills outdoor lighting ordinance that combatants on all sides say was never really about lighting at all.

The village's zoning board of appeals July 19 is expected to finalize the draft ordinance and vote on whether or not to recommend its approval to the village board.

The three distinct sides in the battle consist of those opposed to stronger lighting regulations, those in favor of such an ordinance and those who say they're simply defending the village's process of giving the issue a fair hearing and review.

Residents Dede Wamberg and Dennis Gallitano, a former Elk Grove Village president, head the opposition group HALO - Homeowners Against Lighting Ordinances.

Though the debate so far has been at the zoning board level, they blame village President Robert Abboud for forwarding the proposal there in the first place and for not ending the process immediately when they demanded it.

"People are tired of not being heard," Wamberg said. "We packed the Countryside School gym. It's been kind of like playing with a spoiled child. How could anyone take this so seriously?"

They accuse Abboud of seeking the village's certification as a Dark Sky Community by the International Dark Sky Association in Arizona as a feather in his cap as a Democrat seeking higher office.

Abboud, who has previously challenged Republican 16th District U.S. Congressman Don Manzullo, laughed at the idea.

"Anybody seeking higher office these days must be out of their mind," he said.

He said HALO has been collecting money from its supporters for signs and other demonstrations of resistance. He believes it's his previous challenge of Manzullo that the group's leaders are most threatened by, not the lighting ordinance.

"I'm getting tired of this whole holier-than-thou position HALO is taking. Don't spend the public's money and tear the community apart because you want to take a shot at me," he said.

Abboud denies any interest in the Dark Sky Community designation, but said a lighting ordinance is something most communities should and do have.

The reason it's taken Barrington Hills this long, Abboud said, is that the absence of commercial property never provided the immediate incentive other communities have. But one of the universal responsibilities of local government, he added, is the determination of where one resident's right to do what he or she wants ends and another's right to be protected from the impacts begins.

While critics are calling the proposed ordinance excessive regulation, Abboud said there can be no question that Barrington Hills owes its unique character to a history of proactive leadership.

Abboud said there's no reason to think of excessive lighting spilling onto a neighbor's property in the middle of the night is any different from excessive noise.

"The night sky is part of the environment of Barrington Hills," he said.

Zoning Board Chairman Jonathan Knight said he believes the massive crowds from last October have dwindled to a handful because most residents have recognized the proposed ordinance as neither excessive nor harsh. He estimates about 99 percent of residents already will be in compliance with the final form of the ordinance.

Wamberg said though that most members of HALO stopped attending the zoning board meetings because there was no reason for the full membership to spend nine months listening to boring board discussion. But, she added, the group can fill the room again when needed.

Security lighting, which most critics hang their concerns on, will likely be exempted from the new regulations, Knight said. What still needs to be ironed out, however, is a definition of exactly what security lighting is.

Gallitano said his own concern about security is not based on any far-fetched scenario. His home was broken into not long before the whole issue of outdoor lighting was raised. He added $25,000 of outdoor lighting to his property after the break-in and was in full compliance with the law at the time.

But Knight said the proposed ordinance would be enforced like every other one already on the books - on a complaint basis. Also, there likely will be a built-in period of gradual adjustment to the new regulations.

"There won't be any light police out hunting for violators," Knight said. "The idea that the village is going to come in and demand things be ripped out is erroneous."

The exact level of limitation of outdoor lighting is still not finalized, but the zoning board has been leaning toward a figure of 10,000 lumens per acre. Knight said a 75-watt bulb generates a little more than 1,000 lumens of light.

Residential property in Barrington Hills has a 5-acre minimum zoning, and Wamberg's property is 70 acres. She acknowledges there are residents in favor of a lighting ordinance, but she said she has counted fewer than two dozen.

Village Trustee Steve Knoop, a supporter of greater lighting regulation, sees the reason so few supporters have spoken out differently. He said people enjoying peace and quiet in their Barrington Hills homes have been afraid to stand up against the political action group that is HALO.

Johanna Duffek, outreach and education manager for the International Dark Sky Association in Arizona, said her organization has not been involved in the debate or the writing of the proposed ordinance in Barrington Hills.

The association advocates the use of quality lighting, not the elimination of lighting, Duffek said.

Only Flagstaff, Ariz., and Borrego Springs, Calif., have been designated Dark Sky Communities so far, she said.

An ordinance alone is not enough to gain designation, Duffek added. Public support and an educational program are also essential components, which appear to be absent from Barrington Hills' current debate, she said.

"We want it to be sustainable and for people to understand why they have this ordinance," Duffek said.