By Carol P. Bartold     

Sep. 21, 2016:  New, brighter street lighting in Bronxville's residential area between The Bronxville School and the business district and in the business district has drawn criticism from several Pondfield Road residents.

Described as "tonally cold," with a blue tone, and casting light upward into apartments along Pondfield Road, the lights have driven some residents to use sleep masks at night to keep out reflected light.

Patricia Warble, a Bronxville Towers resident, stated that while she understands that the village needed to improve the lighting and to do so in an environmentally responsible way, "The new lights are having a significant negative impact on people." She added that the lights have completely changed the character of the village, and not in a positive way.

"The change has turned the downtown area into the equivalent of a Home Depot parking lot," noted Bronxville Towers resident Robert Dumont. He described the lights as an abomination.

Warble, who is president of the co-op board of Bronxville Towers, stated that many people have approached her about the new lighting. No one with complaints, however, has attended a Bronxville Board of Trustees meeting to bring their concerns to village officials.

"If people are not impacted directly," Warble said, "they don't go to village meetings. Other people on my co-op board feel very strongly but they're not so likely to go to village hall."

Dumont observed that the globe lights, a fixture in downtown Bronxville for decades, created a warm and romantic atmosphere in the business district. The new lighting, he said, emanates in all directions--up, down, and sideways. "It actually hurts one's eyes to look at," he noted.

Dumont criticized village officials as being "completely safety oriented" and worried about people tripping and falling and about nonexistent crime. "I don't know who came up with this, so I don't know if there were real experts involved," he said. He called for the village to review the lighting plan and start over with the input of urban planners and people with a track record and a portfolio of work to show their expertise and experience.

Mayor Mary Marvin and Village Administrator Jim Palmer describe the new lighting plan as a work in progress. "We recognize that the impacted blocks are transitional," Marvin said.

Palmer acknowledged that the lighting level has been increased by approximately 50 percent and said that dimmers, along with shields to help direct the light toward the street and away from residences, have been purchased and are ready to install.

"The overriding issue is safety," Marvin stated. Much of the illumination from the globe lights dissipated, she added, and did not provide sufficient lighting, especially at downtown crosswalks.

"We loved the concept of the globes," Marvin said, "but they could not be retrofitted for LED lighting and we have to balance nostalgia with safety."

Palmer explained that the new lighting was chosen and installed with the advice of a lighting expert who performed similar services in Larchmont. The expert, Palmer said, devoted much time to matching fixtures with lights.

Both Marvin and Palmer urge residents to contact village hall with comments. "Tell us where there is a problem," Marvin said. "Help us get it right by talking to us."

Pictured here:  New lights in Bronxville's business district.

Photo by A. Warner and staff