Sandy Springs panel recommends lighting Mount Vernon School’s field

A report by Sandy Springs Planning staff recommends allowing Mount Vernon School to light its Ron Hill Athletic Field despite objections by homeowners who live close to the field.

On Wednesday at 6 p.m., the Sandy Springs Planning Commission will receive the report and hear comments from school officials and residents of Mount Vernon Woods and Aria West subdivisions that border the school, which is located at 510 Mount Vernon Hwy., Sandy Springs. The planning commission will recommend whether or not the Sandy Springs City Council should approve the school’s request.

The staff’s analysis said the “proposal is compatible with the existing zoning and principal use.”

In addition to being compatible, the report said the use is allowed via a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) in the zoning district, it complies with use standards and the school is providing mitigation. It also said it is an appropriate land use within a Protected Neighborhood Character Area, a goal of the comprehensive plan.

The mitigation includes using “Dark Sky” technology to limit light spillage. The school has promised to douse the lights at 9:30 p.m., and limit the use of the sound system.

However, representatives of the two neighborhoods have spoken in community meetings and at Sandy Springs City Council meetings against the lights. At a meeting earlier this month, Kim Oliver, president of the Mount Vernon Woods Community Association, said representatives from her neighborhood and from Aria West met with school officials five times between February and May, including a trip to Dunwoody High School to see that school’s lights. They also met with sound, landscaping and lighting experts.

“We have spent countless hours evaluating the school’s proposal based upon our due diligence, [but] the school cannot mitigate the adverse impact of the bright glow and noise that will forever change the character of our protected neighborhoods,” Oliver said.

John Snodgrass, a 48-year resident of Mount Vernon Woods, said he and his wife granted sewer easements through their property to allow Mount Vernon School to build its upper campus. That approval included a promise by the school that lights would never be installed at the athletic field so they could preserve the peace and tranquility of their neighborhood.

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