Piedmont Dark Skies, an informal but formidable group of grassroots advocates, has made great strides toward greater protections for starry skies and tranquil nightscapes in the central Piedmont region.
That now includes Albermarle County's recent update of their Comprehensive Plan.
Required by Virginia state law "comp plans" lay the groundwork for a locality's zoning ordinance; they are a declaration of principles and priorities, a commitment to leadership, and a roadmap for the future.
Albermarle's comprehensive plan likely goes further than any other in valuing dark skies as an asset to be protected with responsible outdoor lighting. It's a crucial first step toward developing an effective outdoor lighting ordinance and ensuring its implementation and enforcement.
Albermarle's comprehensive plan likely goes further than any other in valuing dark skies as an asset to be protected with responsible outdoor lighting. It's a crucial first step toward developing an effective outdoor lighting ordinance and ensuring its implementation and enforcement.
You can find Albermarle's plan here:
https://engage.albemarle.org/ac44-phase-four
Next, choose Part 3 - Implementation. From there you can search for 'dark skies', 'dark sky', and 'lighting' to find all references.
Relevant excerpts from the plan are also copied below:
