CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

All of a Sudden, Light Pollution Gets Major Attention

I’ve been catching up from last week, partly by listening to the last City Council meeting from a week ago. While it was going on live, I was driving in Arizona — so now it’s time to see what I missed.

Apparently the big thing I missed was hours of discussion on the proposed Civic Center complex, which is slated to be built along Avocado Avenue, up from the library. And I’m hearing tons of talk about glare from glass windows, and light pollution, and not letting cars park at night on the roof of a parking structure, all because of the light and how it would affect neighbors.

Excuse me! Wow! Where was the discussion on lights bugging neighbors when the city was planning a public restroom remodel by Little Corona beach? Oh, there wasn’t any? Hmm….maybe that is why a lot of neighbors overlooking that city project were blinded when crews installed 26-watt bulbs that illuminated most of Lower Buck Gully.

Eventually, after City Councilwoman Nancy Gardner stepped in and helped neighbors and city crews work out a solution, the exterior restroom lights were altered.

I suppose it’s good that the questions of lights and how they affect residents is getting a lot of conversation for the City Hall project. It really should be something that all city projects should take into account. Not just the big-ticket, big-budget items.