SUBSTITUTE ORDINANCE NO. BL2013-403

An ordinance amending Section 17.28.100 of the Metropolitan Code pertaining to exterior lighting of buildings and structures (Proposal No. 2013Z-009TX-001).

BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. Title 17 of the Metropolitan Code, Zoning Regulations, is hereby amended by amending Section 17.28.100 by adding the following new subsection C.:
“C. Excessive rope lighting shall not be used on a building, structure or individual business establishment for more than thirty days during any one calendar year.
1. Rope lighting includes, but is not limited to, illumination known as rope lighting, strand lighting, lite ropes, flexible impact lighting, tubular lighting, string lighting, or other similar forms of illumination.
2. All rope lighting present on a building, structure or independent business establishment shall be classified as either area rope lighting or linear rope lighting.
3. Excessive rope lighting shall exist where either:
a. Area rope lighting covers more than twenty-five percent of the front façade or roof area of a building, structure or independent business establishment. Area rope lighting shall be deemed to exist where a shape or polygon outlined in such illumination encircles similar illumination placed within the shape or polygon in a patterned proximity (parallel, random or otherwise) of generally less than 12 inches between individual illumination strands; or
b. Linear rope lighting exists with more that twenty-five percent of the allowable linear maximum of a building, structure or independent business establishment. The linear maximum shall be calculated by adding the outside edge dimensions of the roof and façade plus the outside frame dimensions of all transparent windows and exterior doorways open, operating and accessible to the public during normal business hours of the building, structure or independent business establishment. To qualify as a separate transparent window or exterior doorway, the entire window or doorway frame must be clearly and continuously separated by a minimum of 12” from another separate and individual window or doorway frame; or
c. Buildings, structures or individual business establishments, includes both area rope lighting and linear rope lighting and the area rope lighting covers more than fifteen percent of the front façade or roof area of a building, structure or independent business establishment as defined above or the linear rope lighting exists with more than fifteen percent of the allowable linear maximum of a building, structure or independent business establishment as defined above.
Section 2. That this Ordinance shall take from and after its passage and such change be published in a newspaper of general circulation, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.

Sponsored by: Karen Johnson

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Introduced:	March 19, 2013
Passed First Reading:	March 19, 2013
Referred to:	Planning Commission Planning & Zoning Committee
Passed Second Reading:	May 7, 2013
Substitute Introduced:	May 21, 2013
Passed Third Reading:	May 21, 2013
Approved:	May 22, 2013
By:
Effective:	May 24, 2013