Any use permitted by right, by special permit, or by special exception in any district shall not be conducted in a manner as to emit any dangerous, noxious, injurious, or otherwise objectionable fire, explosion, radioactivity or other hazard; noise or vibration; smoke, dust, odor or other form of environmental pollution; electrical or other disturbance; glare, liquid or solid refuse or wastes; conditions conducive to the breeding of insects, rodents, or other substance, conditions or element in an amount as to affect adversely the surrounding environment.
A. 
In meeting these objectives, the following general standards shall apply:
(1) 
Emissions shall be completely and effectively confined within the building, or so regulated as to prevent any nuisance, hazard, or other disturbance from being perceptible (without the use of instruments) at any lot line of the premises on which the use is located.
(2) 
All activities and all storage of flammable and explosive materials at any point shall be provided with adequate safety devices against fire and explosion and adequate fire-fighting and fire-suppression devices and equipment.
(3) 
No emission which can cause any damage or irritation to the health of persons, animals or vegetation or which can cause excessive soiling, at any point, shall be permitted.
(4) 
No discharge, at any point, into a private sewerage system, stream or the ground, of any material in such a way, or of such a nature or temperature as may contaminate any running stream, water supply or otherwise cause the emission of dangerous or objectionable elements and accumulation of wastes conducive to the breeding of rodents or insects shall be permitted.
(5) 
No emission of odorous gases or odoriferous matter in such quantities as to be offensive shall be permitted.
(6) 
Activities that emit dangerous radioactivity, at any point, shall be controlled in accordance with all regulations of the Atomic Energy Commission.
(7) 
No electrical disturbance adversely affecting the operation, at any point, of any equipment, other than that of the creator of such disturbance, shall be permitted.
(8) 
No persistently loud or disruptive noise shall be allowed between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. All steady, nonfluctuating noise levels must meet the following standards at the property boundary (using a sound meter which meets the American National Standards Institute's Specification for Type II Sound Level Meters: S1.4-1971.):
Land Uses
Maximum Noise
(decibels)*
Residential (7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.)
60
Residential (10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.)
50
Business, commercial, institutions, mixed use
65
Business, commercial, institutions, mixed use (10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.)
55
General industrial uses
70
* Nonsteady, fluctuating noises are subject to the same maximum noise levels as measured on an energy-weighted or LEQ basis over a representative one-hour time period.
B. 
In enforcing these standards, the permit granting authority shall call upon specified standards, technical specifications, and the technical expertise of appropriate federal, state, regional, and local agencies.
C. 
When reviewing an application for a zoning permit (See § 350-10.2.) or other zoning relief, the permit granting authority may require the submission of a statement from a qualified independent authority indicating that the proposed structure and/or use will not constitute a detriment to the community with respect to some aspect of these environmental performance standards.
A. 
Goals.
(1) 
It is the intent of this section to establish light standards for outdoor lighting fixtures that are permanently installed or portable illuminating devices used for general illumination or advertisement. Such devices must include, but are not limited to, search, spot and floodlights for buildings and structures; recreational areas; parking lot lighting; landscape lighting; billboards and other signs; street lighting; product display area lighting; building overhangs and open canopies. The goal of this section is to create such standards that result in lighting systems that are designed, constructed, and installed to address:
(a) 
Offsite impacts/glare control.
(b) 
Safety, to provide lighting where necessary but not more than required for visibility.
(c) 
Energy efficiency, to reduce our energy demand and carbon footprint.
(d) 
Environmental impacts and curtailing the degradation of the night sky.
(2) 
All standards within this section must be met unless the Planning Board explicitly grants a waiver through site plan approval for lighting that does not conform to these standards. Such waivers may be granted if and only if these goals are being achieved.
(3) 
Lower illumination levels that are more evenly distributed throughout a site will result in fewer intense bright spots and thus minimize impacts on surrounding neighborhoods while maximizing efficiency and promoting safety.
B. 
Definitions. As used in this chapter, the following terms must have the meanings indicated:
BACKLIGHTING
Illumination behind a light fixture. Backlighting must not create light trespass off the premises as defined below and must not be greater than 90° from vertical. This often leads to offsite light trespass. See diagram below.
BUG RATINGS
Lighting classification system as established by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) that assigns values for amount of backlight, uplight and glare from a lighting fixture.
CORRELATED COLOR TEMPERATURE (CCT)
The measurement of the color appearance of the light emitted by a lamp in degrees Kelvin.
CUTOFF (FULL) FIXTURE
A light fixture that, by design of the housing, does not allow any light emission or direct glare to shine above a 90° angle from a vertical line as taken at the base of the fixture. See diagram below.
GLARE
A light source that is bright and concentrated enough to cause loss of visibility or discomfort. This is typically caused when a light source is angled sideways above 60° from vertical as shown below.
350 Glare.tif
LIGHT TRESPASS
Light coming from a fixture with illuminance of 0.1 or more footcandle measured horizontally or vertically at the property line.
UPLIGHTING
Any light emitted above a 90% horizontal plane. Uplighting creates skyglow.
C. 
Applicability.
(1) 
All legal nonconforming luminaires may continue to be used and maintained after the adoption of this chapter. However, such lights must comply with these requirements upon the first of:
(a) 
An application for any zoning relief from the Zoning Board or Planning Board that triggers review of site features; and/or
(b) 
The replacement of any legal nonconforming luminaire with new lighting fixtures/equipment, excluding replacement of lamps/bulbs. See Exemption 1 below.
(2) 
The Building Commissioner shall make the determination that these standards are being met. Based on this assessment, the property owner must replace or modify fixtures to achieve compliance; this may include additional shielding of lights.
D. 
Standards. Any use permitted by zoning either by right or through any type of zoning relief in any district must conform to the following lighting standards. All outdoor light fixtures and illuminated signs for all uses and structures within the City of Northampton must be designed, located, installed and directed in such a manner as to limit light trespass at the property lines and glare at any location on or off the property. If necessary, an applicant may need to provide photometric plans and/or manufacturing specification sheets to show conformance with these standards. All replacement of outdoor lighting fixtures, as of the date of adoption, must be subject to the provisions of this chapter.
(1) 
Cutoffs. All outdoor lighting must be shielded using full cutoff-type fixtures (see below). Cutoffs must shield lamps against glare and may consist of internal baffles or reflectors or external panels or other mechanisms. Shielding must prevent direct glare and light trespass so that light is contained to the target area to the extent feasible.
(a) 
General site lighting shall not shine above the horizontal plane. See graphic for definition of "glare." No uplighting is allowed; parking, security and aesthetic lighting must shine downward. See graphic under "cutoff" definition in section above.
(b) 
Light trespass is prohibited.
(c) 
Spotlights used to illuminate buildings, signs or specific site amenities/features must be targeted on such objects to prevent direct uplighting. Lighting must not spill beyond nor above the edges of the building, sign, or object of the spotlight.
[1] 
Lighting for flags must be downlit from the top of the pole.
(d) 
Upward search or spotlighting of the sky for entertainment, advertising or other purposes is prohibited.
(e) 
Lights or luminaires that are not shielded with cutoffs may be used on the first floor level around single- or two-family residential structures if lamps/bulbs do not exceed 600 lumens.
(f) 
Floodlighting for residential purposes must only be used with motion sensors and must be shielded to minimize: glare for drivers and pedestrians, light trespass, and light must not shine above a 90° angle from vertical.
(2) 
Illumination levels.
(a) 
Site lighting output standards by district. Averaging must be as established by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.
Zoning District
Maximum Lumens
(per fixture at doorways or building facades*)
Maximum Site Footcandles
(as measured at the ground)
FFR
800
NA
RR/SR/SC/WSP
1000
0.8
URA/URB/URC/PV/NB/OI/GI
1200
3
GB/NB
2500
5
CBc/CBs/CBg/FVc/FVg//HB
2500
5
NOTE:
*
Downlight washing building facades allowed only for areas around the building where concrete pedestrian walkways are located. Wall lights for "security" where pedestrian walkways are not present are only allowed with motion sensors that must be timed to turn off five minutes after motion detected.
(b) 
Specific uses:
Additional Allowances for Specific Uses
Maximum Lumens
Maximum Footcandles
(as measured at the ground)
Car sales for outdoor sale display areas only.
2,000 at any point/fixture
12
24-hour banking per drive up window
2,500 at any point/fixture
5
Gas station canopy
1,000 per pump kiosk
12
(c) 
All projects subject to Planning Board Site Plan Review must include a proposed photometric plan and lighting specifications that show compliance with these standards. In addition, projects that trigger major site plan review must utilize fixtures that do not exceed these ratings for backlight, uplight and glare (BUG) for any fixture less than one pole mounting height from the property lines, unless waived by the Board.
Commercial Districts: B1U0G2.
Residential Districts: B0U0G1.
(3) 
Energy efficiency.
(a) 
Because they are the least energy efficient and contain elements harmful for the environment the following are prohibited:
Mercury vapor
Incandescent lighting fixtures
(4) 
Spectrum management. The emission of light by all luminaires in all lighting must have a correlated color temperature of the light between 0° to 2700° Kelvin.
(5) 
Control. All nonresidential site lights must be turned off one hour after close of business. However, lights may be set to motion controls after close of business so long as they are timed to turn off five minutes after motion is detected.
(6) 
Pole and mounting heights.
(a) 
Site light poles must be a maximum of 25 feet with a maximum mounting height of 25 feet in parking lots for commercial and industrial uses within commercial and industrial parking lots and along streets. The maximum pole and mounting height in all residential districts must be 16 feet. Greater pole mounting heights may be allowed with site plan approval from the Planning Board.
(b) 
All lights located within the right-of-way directing light onto private property must comply with general site lighting standards above in Subsection D(1). This may require shielding to prevent glare and uplighting.
(7) 
Sign lighting.
(a) 
Lighting of wall signs must conform to these output standards. These standards are in addition to those designated in Subsection D(2) above and must not result in lighting that exceeds those allowed on the site as described in Subsection D(2).
(b) 
Signs shall be illuminated from the top or internally illuminated. Lights must be shielded to contain all light directed onto the sign and must not cause offsite glare.
(c) 
All business sign lights must be equipped with a photo-control and be turned off at the close of business, unless the Planning Board approves an alternative through site plan review and in compliance with Subsection D(5) above. See also 350-7.0 for additional standards for dynamic displays and other signs.
Surface Type
Adjoining Residential Districts
(lumens per sign)
Business Districts-
(lumens per sign)
Light reflective surfaces
800
1000
Medium-light surfaces
1000
2000
Medium-dark surfaces
1500
2500
Dark (absorbing) surfaces
2000
3000
(d) 
Luminance levels on internally illuminated and electronic signs: Luminance levels during permitted operating hours must not exceed a range of 60 nits for white signs to 150 nits for darker signs. This figure is as measured under conditions of a full white display.
(e) 
Sign lighting and illuminated signs must be turned off one hour after the close of business. Multitenant signs must be turned off one hour after all businesses are closed.
E. 
Streetlights.
(1) 
See Northampton Subdivision Regulations for streetlight standards on streets/rights of ways. Streetlight applications may not exceed 90° and shall meet the following:
District
B
U
G
Maximum Foot-candle
CBcore/FVcenter and general, HB
2
0
2
4 FC
CBside/CBgateway/OI/GI/GB/NB/PV
1
0
1
3.5 FC
URA, URB, URC
1
0
1
2 FC
RR/SR/SC/WSP
0
0
1
1 FC
(2) 
Streetlights must be regulated to dim by 50% after midnight.
(3) 
Waivers from streetlight standards on public ways may be granted by the Planning Board after a site plan review procedure if and only if necessary to improve pedestrian safety on pedestrian ways or crosswalks or, in the case of municipally funded projects, cost to the City to meet the by-right standards will be extraordinary. Waivers granted to the City for extraordinary costs must be supported by 1) evidence that design, procurement, and installation costs to comply with by-right standards are more than 50% more than costs associated with the noncompliant design, or 2) demonstrated loss of alternative funding for the project.
(4) 
All modifications granted through waivers must be consistent with Dark Sky International and Illuminating Engineering Society guidance. In no case shall a waiver be granted that increases the color temperature above 3000K or more than one backlight or glare rating above the by-right standard for the relevant zoning district (see table above). No waiver shall be granted for any increase in the uplight rating.
(5) 
Public properties owned by the City such as parking lots, parks, schools, and other community gathering spaces must adhere to these standards.
F. 
Exemptions.
(1) 
Permanent outdoor light fixtures lawfully installed prior to and operable on the effective date of the requirements in this chapter so long as they do not create light trespass as defined herein on an abutting residential structure within a residential zone.
(a) 
Bulb/lamp replacement must not constitute "replacement lighting." However, no new bulbs may exceed lumen levels nor correlated color temperature limits prescribed herein unless adequate information, as determined by the Building Commissioner, is provided to show that no such bulbs are compatible with the existing fixture.
(2) 
Airport operations lighting and aircraft navigational beacons as established by the Federal Aviation Administration are permanently exempt from these provisions. All other airport outdoor lighting must conform to the intent of this chapter.
(3) 
Festivals/fairs that require the use of temporary outdoor lighting fixtures are exempt except that permanent installations at dedicated sites must conform to the requirements of this chapter. All such temporary lights for festivals and fairs must be turned off one hour after the event closes for the day. After this time, lights may be set to motion controls so long as they are timed to turn off five minutes after motion is detected.
(4) 
Public monuments or statuaries that create uplighting. All lighting must be focused within the edges of the statuary. Adequate shielding to prevent glare onto any public way and prevent light trespass as defined herein may be required.
(5) 
Underwater/pool lighting.
(6) 
Decorative outdoor string lights. Such lighting must be timed to turn off at 1:00 a.m. each day.
(7) 
Lighting that is only used under emergency conditions by civil officers, agents and officials to perform their duties to maintain the public health, safety and welfare.
(8) 
Public outdoor recreational facilities and school athletic fields are exempt from lumen cap when:
(a) 
Compliance with shielding and spectrum management requirements in Subsection D(1) and (4) above is met.
(b) 
Lights are turned off no later than 30 minutes after the event concludes.
(9) 
The United States flag may be lit subject to Subsection D(1)(c)[1] and such flag lights must be dimmed to 50% after 12:00 a.m.
A. 
Legislative findings and intent. The City of Northampton finds that significant trees enhance air quality, reduce noise, reduce energy costs, create habitat, enhance aesthetics and property values, and benefit City neighborhoods. The intent of this section is to encourage the preservation and protection of significant trees during development and redevelopment projects that require a site plan approval, special permit, comprehensive permit, finding, or variance (collectively "zoning relief").
B. 
No person shall remove any significant tree associated with any site plan approval or any other zoning relief without a site plan approval from the Planning Board (if a site plan approval is otherwise required), or an administrative site plan approval from the Office of Planning and Sustainability if no site plan is otherwise required.
C. 
The removal of any significant tree after July 1, 2015, or within 12 months immediately prior to such a site plan or zoning relief, whichever is later, shall be subject to this section.
D. 
The requirements of this section shall not apply to:
(1) 
Trees located on property under the jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission.
(2) 
City-owned public shade trees pursuant to MGL Chapter 87.
(3) 
Trees associated with emergency projects necessary for public safety, health and welfare as determined by the Building Commissioner, Director of Planning and Sustainability, or Director of Public Works.
(4) 
Trees that are hazardous due to disease, age, or shallow roots, as determined and confirmed in writing by a certified arborist and reviewed by the City's Tree Warden.
(5) 
Trees affected by work performed by a utility company in maintenance of its rights-of-way or in its maintenance, repair or replacement of infrastructure that is unrelated to a development project requiring zoning relief.
(6) 
Trees that are approved for removal through special permit by the Planning Board.
(a) 
The Board may grant a special permit if, after weighing the benefits of significant trees against other community benefits created as part of the project, it determines a waiver of tree replacement to be appropriate and if at least the following standards have been met:
[1] 
Trees are removed in order to create net zero energy buildings (for electric and thermal use) of up to 10,000 square feet and/or to install 10,000 square feet of ground-mounted PV panels; in addition to providing one or more community benefits, which may include:
[a] 
Affordable housing units where 50% or more of the units are deed-restricted for affordable housing as defined in this Chapter 350.
[b] 
A project that results in permanently protected open space.
(b) 
Building square footage shall apply to a single building footprint or to the aggregate of two or more buildings. In order to exercise a special permit granted under this section, applicants must present a building permit that has been issued for specific plans showing compliance with the net-zero standard and must construct in accordance with the special permit within one year of the issuance of a building permit. Planning Board special permit to grant a waiver from replacement within this provision is allowed only for the trees necessary to be removed in order to provide the solar access to the building(s) and/or panel array.
E. 
Any person removing a significant tree that is subject to this section shall satisfy either of the following conditions:
(1) 
Provide for replacement trees according to the following standards:
(a) 
Replacement trees shall be noninvasive deciduous or coniferous trees (as defined by the City's Tree List and Planting Guidelines) planted on or off site, as approved as part of a site plan or administrative site plan, or on any City-owned property with approval by the Office of Planning and Sustainability, in consultation with the City Tree Warden, unless such trees are public shade trees as per MGL c. 87, § 1,. Replacements shall be calculated so that for each inch of diameter at breast height of the removed trees there shall be no less than 1/2 inch of caliper diameter of replacement trees.
(b) 
Replacement trees shall have a minimum of one-inch caliper diameter.
(c) 
Replacement trees shall be maintained in good health a minimum of 24 months after they are planted as confirmed by the City's Tree Warden. If replacement trees are not found to be in "good health" as determined by the Tree Warden, the trees shall be replaced as directed by the Warden.
(d) 
Replacement trees shall either be approved street tree species as defined in the rules and regulations regarding subdivision of land or other trees that are hardy in all of the following USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 6a, 6b, 7a, and 7b.
(2) 
Pay funds to the City for a tree replacement fund account that, in the Planning Board's estimate, will allow the City to plant new public shade trees on City property in accordance with the above formula.
F. 
Protection of significant trees during construction.
(1) 
Any significant trees to be retained and any replacement trees on property where demolition and/or construction activity is planned shall be protected in an area shown on the approved site plan and should follow American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A300 standards for tree care practices.
(2) 
The protected area shall exceed both the critical root zone and drip-line of each significant tree unless the Planning Board approves an alternate maintenance and tree protection plan submitted by a certified arborist.
(3) 
A certified arborist shall submit a written letter to the Building Commissioner, Tree Warden and Office of Planning and Sustainability certifying that such area has been so protected in accordance with the site plan.
G. 
Recordkeeping. The Department of Planning and Sustainability shall collect annual totals of the number and diameter at breast height measurements of significant trees preserved and replaced.