It might be a little easier to see the stars over Humboldt Bay soon. 

The Arcata City Council voted last night to adopt a comprehensive update to the local coastal program, the policy framework for development and land use for properties that lay within the coastal zone. The last comprehensive update was completed in 1994. 

Many of the changes reflect an increased understanding of how sea level rise will affect Arcata in the coming decades. City staff organized all of the land in the coastal zone into different areas, based on the important infrastructure located in each one and how likely they are to be underwater in the coming decades. 

One of the most interesting additions to the program is the adoption of Dark Sky guidelines that will regulate electric lighting in the coastal zone. The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors passed its own Dark Sky program last year. The rules prohibit using light fixtures that bleed excessive amounts of ambient light into the sky, which increases light pollution and makes it harder to see the stars. 

All outdoor lighting fixtures in the coastal zone must be shielded or recessed; the light it emits has to be restricted to the property it’s located on. 

Director of Community Development David Loya said at last night’s meeting it was the influence of Humboldt Waterkeeper, a local advocacy group dedicated to environmental preservation, that made the city decide to add the Dark Sky guidelines to the program. 

Humboldt Waterkeeper’s Policy Analyst Sylvia van Royen told the Outpost that they had been keeping an eye out for other opportunities to implement Dark Sky policies since they’d convinced the county to adopt one. Codifying these rules ensures that it’s not just up to individuals to keep the view nice, van Royen said. 

“It will make our night skies a little more visible, and reduce the ‘sky glow’ from the city of Arcata,” van Royen said. “[Humboldt Waterkeeper executive director] Jen [Kalt] just sent me a picture last night of the Arcata Bottoms from McKinleyville at, like, 8 p.m., and you can see the sky glow of the whole city from that far away, and that impacts wildlife, and our ability to see the night sky and stargaze, things like that.”

Large amounts of light pollution also can mess with migratory birds’ homing instincts, she said; Arcata’s coastal zone, which includes the marsh, is home to many of them. 

One reason staff and the Planning Commission decided to use the Dark Sky guidelines is because they endorse a variety of lights. 

“The homeowner who’s going to [hardware store] The Millyard to pick up a fixture — they’ll know they’re Dark Sky-compliant because their fixture will say it is on the box,” Loya said. “And that’s the easiest way to understand it.”

There’s also an option for detail-oriented wonks who are willing to parse BUG ratings. 

The motion to adopt the program passed unanimously. It may take a while before it’s official; Loya said the state Coastal Commission has to sign off on it, and the commission will likely ask for an extension. It could be a year or more before the program is officially updated.