Merchants Object to Village Lighting Changes

Business owners and their representatives spoke out against proposed amendments to the East Hampton Village lighting code during a hearing on Friday.

Among the changes would be limits on commercial interior lighting and outside "wall washing" by upturned spotlights.

In his first meeting since taking a leave of absence for medical reasons in November, Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr., along with his colleagues on the board, listened as one merchant after another complained about what they said were onerous rules that would compromise safety and security and be a financial burden.

The changes were drafted to address light trespass, eliminate lighting deemed needless, maintain the village's rural character, and save energy through new technology and reduced use. But Monte Farber, the first person to address the village board during Friday's hearing, spoke for most of his peers when he said, "From every aspect as store owner, I am against this motion."

Mr. Farber, who owns the Enchanted World Emporium at 8 Main Street, next to Rowdy Hall restaurant, worried about what he said would be "a safety issue in our little mews there. It's hard enough to walk there already. Someone's going to get mugged." As a jewelry store owner, he also worried about a break-in that would not be detected.

"I'm also worried for you all," Mr. Farber told the board, "because if somebody falls and the reason is because there's no light, and it can be shown that there was no light because of this motion, they're going to come after the village."

David Eagan, an attorney, spoke against the law on behalf of Ben and Bonnie Krupinski, who own several restaurants and retail properties. His clients, he said, thought that the concept of unnecessary lighting was extreme. "Slow down, reassess it, come up with a more balanced process," he advised the board.

Anthony DeVivio, the managing director for Halstead Property at 2 Newtown Lane, told the board that his building had been vandalized on Sunday evening when two or three people had accessed the roof and written "Satan is Waiting" on the building's exterior wall. "And now you're asking us to turn all the lights off in the village," he said. "This is an absolute security risk."

Mayor Rickenbach, along with Village Trustees Richard Lawler, Bruce Siska, and Elbert Edwards, said that nothing has been decided. "The board supports the general intent" of the proposed legislation, he said, "but you folks here today, mostly in opposition, have raised some valid points."

"Nobody's trying to blindside anybody," Mr. Lawler said. "We have to have some sort of a template. Obviously, quite a few people are unhappy with that." The legislation, he said, was a work in progress.

Mr. Rickenbach said that the hearing would remain open and public comment on the proposed lighting rules changes will be accepted until the board's Feb. 5 work session.