After years of court battles, residents and officials from the City of Alexandria and Alexandria City Public Schools have come to a long-term agreement about stadium lights at T.C. Williams.
Residents had been arguing that the light pollution caused by the stadium lights would negatively affect their property value and quality of life, keeping them up at night. Many of the residents bought their homes long before the stadium appeared.
The settlement allows lights to be installed at Parker-Gray Stadium as part of a stadium modernization plan, but there will be significant limitations on the usage of those lights. Lights will be limited to usage for only 50 nights per academic year in addition to post-season games and practices. Lights will go off by 9:45 p.m. or 10:15 p.m. on weekends (with some allowances for later lights in the event of game delays). Noise will be limited, as well.
Read more about the agreement here.
The School Board agreed that it would not issue permits for any non-school lighted events at Parker-Gray Stadium. This includes recreation, travel, and adult league athletics and activities.
"As a part of the stadium renovation approved by the Alexandria City Council in the Development Special Use Permit, the school will install a 10-foot high privacy fence between the athletic field area and adjacent homeowners, install plantings that will provide additional visual and noise relief for residents, and perform sound and light tests to minimize the impact of stadium activities on the adjacent neighborhoods," according to a City press release.
"The agreement between the homeowners, School Board, and City was approved by Circuit Court Judge Thomas Horne. The agreement, which will remain in effect until 2060, resolves four lawsuits filed by the homeowners in 2018."
