Light pollution - what do?

Burtletoy

So a car dealership across the street from my apartment recently installed a big fuck off fence with barbed wire and a bunch of flood lights to, I assume, harass the homeless people that sleep in their cars in the alley way behind the dealership.

Also, those flood lights are super bright in my bedroom window and stay on 24/7 starting last night.

I'm going to ask them nicely to fix it, but also!

They are commercial NC3 zoned and according to my googling today, Seattle municipal code chapter 23.47A.022 - light and glare standards (chapter 23.47A - commercial, applies to RC3 zones) the first line states

seattle.gov municipal codes wrote:

A. Exterior lighting must be shielded and directed away from adjacent uses.

If they don't adjust their flood lights when I ask nicely, what is the next step, when it appears to me that they are in violation of this code?

Burtletoy

It isn't even dark outside yet and you can already see the lights in my bedroom window at 5:15pm

https://twitter.com/Burtletoy/status/1356773815028617219?s=19

tastydonuts

While hopefully you don't get caught up in a movie/sitcom style war with the dealership, as an alternative, you can also buy blackout curtains for under $30 on Amazon, and they work pretty well in destroying any sense of day/night at home.

You can to file a complaint via your 311 equivalent, looks like you guys don't have the general hotline, but your Violation Complaint Line is (206) 615-0808. The Complaint page is here.

If you have a nuisance-business type local TV thing, you may call it in and depending on how much of a local favor there is toward being awful toward the homeless.

Nosf

When we reno'd our house a year ago, we changed the drapes in the bedroom to blackout curtains and damn, how did we never have those before. They're great! Get fucked, outside world!

We didn't have anything terrible outside, just the normal streetlight across the street which is really only bright during the winter when the two trees between it and us are bereft of foilage.

Burtletoy

Oh good. Now the lights blink. So much for the asking nicely approach I guess

MichaelLC

Definitely try to work with them at least once, then go to city or media.

Are there other residents affected? Usually better to have a group.

I'll also recommend blackout cell shades. We've got them in both bedrooms.

https://www.lowes.com/pl/Cellular-Blackout--Window-shades-Blinds-window-shades-Window-treatments-Home-decor/4294856885?refinement=4294964464,4294776552

Space Pickle

tastydonuts wrote: »

While hopefully you don't get caught up in a movie/sitcom style war with the dealership

trade apartments with your comically eccentric neighbor and hide your addiction to kenny rogers chicken

tinwhiskers

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B004T8RX22/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_GRZ4HXQCA7J4W750KY1C


For $8 on amazon you can yet this amazing photon deflecting device.

zepherin

Duct tape and some aluminum foil over the windows is my go to.

Bedlam

I got some drywall screws and used some old bedsheets to cover my window. We're not aloud to use anything that can be seen from outside and it had to be removed for inspections. But Im just trying to block out sunlight because I sleep weird hours.

Burtletoy

I did check out the type of light, because I was uhhh, wondering if it was shielded, as the municiple code I posted said they had to be, and the lights are leds on a board, so I don't think they would break easily.

And I don't want to board up my windows, I like having light inside and plants in the sill.

I wear a mask when I sleep most nights so it doesn't really effect my sleep a ton, but it's super annoying anyways

I did run into my next door and down stairs neighbor and they both are also annoyed, so I'm gonna call the city on Monday and then share the number and ask them to make the same complaints.