Title
Approving a resolution for a request to install athletic field lighting for the proposed Pflugerville ISD District Stadium located at the northwest corner of FM1825/Pecan Street and Swenson Farms Boulevard.
Summary
In accordance with Section 13.9 of the Unified Development Code (UDC) athletic field lighting for any facility requires approval by City Council. The proposed project is for the Pflugerville ISD District Stadium to be located on FM1825/Pecan Street at Swenson Farms Boulevard across the street from Pflugerville High School.
According to the request, the applicant is requesting consideration for height, operating hours and illumination requirements.
Height: the project proposes two light poles 120 feet in height and two light poles 90 feet in height for the athletic field lighting with mounting heights between 60 feet and 132 feet. Additional lighting for the parking lot and pedestrian paths will be provided at a smaller scale in accordance with UDC requirements.
Lighting period: Lighting of the stadium playing field is only proposed in conjunction with scheduled events and will not be illuminated on a daily basis. The stadium, designed to seat 10,000 spectators, will serve Pflugerville ISD as a whole and is generally anticipated to host football games between 4:30pm and 11pm in the fall semester and soccer games between 4:30pm and 11pm in the spring semester. In addition, the stadium has the potential to host various special events such as district playoff games and band marching competitions at various times during the year. All events are expected to end around 10pm. The 11pm end time is requested in order to ensure proper exiting from the stadium after the conclusion of the event. The stadium will be staffed daily from 7:30am to 5pm. The site is bounded on the east and south by roadways and to the north by the future location of Timmerman Elementary school and to the west by commercial development and emerging residential development (Carrington Court).
Illumination Requirements: The applicant proposes to use illumination levels consistent with NCAA/UIL guidelines. These apply to competition fields and are much brighter than levels deemed acceptable for recreational uses. However the lighting design and photometric plans show that the occurrence of light beyond the property line is expected to be minimal based on the location and orientation of the lights in relation to the field and property boundary. Additionally, any light infiltration at the property line will occur only during events at the stadium. The area just to the west of the stadium is the only area that is identified to have the potential for some light encroachment. The light at the property line will not exceed 0.1 foot candles based on the data provided. Foot candles are used to measure the amount of light in the area. As a point of reference 0.1 foot candles is equivalent to the amount of light in a movie theater when the movie is on where a typical office averages 10-20 foot candles.
Deadline for City Council Action
None.
Fiscal Impact
N/A
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval.
Drafter
Emily Barron, AICP
Planning Director