please address light pollution problems in the Raymond Park neighborhood

The Issue

The Raymond Park neighborhood is adversely impacted by growing light pollution problems.   Flood and unshielded exterior lights from several larger apartment complexes, particularly Walden Park, Walden Square and Lincoln Way, shine directly onto neighbors' houses from dusk to dawn.  Despite neighbors' repeated efforts to deal with the problem, Walden Park Apartments continues to violate City codes and casts light across a two to three block radius from the many flood lights it has postitioned on top of its two, six-story buildings. Counter to their natural habits, birds now chirp from midnight through pre-dawn in the immediate vicinity of the Walden Park Apartments.  Simultaneously, with the redevelopment of Lincoln Way apartments, Cambridge Housing Authority has installed street lights directly against the property lines of abutters and unshielded, wall mounted exterior lights throughout the apartment complex, both of which cast excessive amounts of light onto neighbor's houses and in the neighborhood in general.   In compliance with City lighting codes, we petition that 1. Walden Park apartment remove the flood lights from the top of its two buildings,  2. Walden Park and Lincoln Way install shields on wall-mounted, exterior lights that shine directly at neighbor's houses, and 3.  Lincoln Way street lights along abutters' property lines not only contain effective, back-side shielding, but are substituted to smaller sized posts with significantly reduced wattage.

This petition had 79 supporters

The Issue

The Raymond Park neighborhood is adversely impacted by growing light pollution problems.   Flood and unshielded exterior lights from several larger apartment complexes, particularly Walden Park, Walden Square and Lincoln Way, shine directly onto neighbors' houses from dusk to dawn.  Despite neighbors' repeated efforts to deal with the problem, Walden Park Apartments continues to violate City codes and casts light across a two to three block radius from the many flood lights it has postitioned on top of its two, six-story buildings. Counter to their natural habits, birds now chirp from midnight through pre-dawn in the immediate vicinity of the Walden Park Apartments.  Simultaneously, with the redevelopment of Lincoln Way apartments, Cambridge Housing Authority has installed street lights directly against the property lines of abutters and unshielded, wall mounted exterior lights throughout the apartment complex, both of which cast excessive amounts of light onto neighbor's houses and in the neighborhood in general.   In compliance with City lighting codes, we petition that 1. Walden Park apartment remove the flood lights from the top of its two buildings,  2. Walden Park and Lincoln Way install shields on wall-mounted, exterior lights that shine directly at neighbor's houses, and 3.  Lincoln Way street lights along abutters' property lines not only contain effective, back-side shielding, but are substituted to smaller sized posts with significantly reduced wattage.

The Decision Makers

City Councilor
City Councilor
Cambridge City Councilor
Robert HealyTIER 1
Robert HealyTIER 1
City Manager
City Councilor
City Councilor
City Councilor
City Councilor
City Councilor
Cambridge City Council
Ranjit Singanayagam
Ranjit Singanayagam
office of inspectional services
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