Bronxville Quality of Life Committee

Why Stadium Lighting Is Wrong for Bronxville

The design and scale of our village makes stadium lighting uniquely inappropriate. Even modern lighting technology cannot overcome the fundamental truth: the school campus sits in a densely populated residential area with some homes as close as 20 feet from the perimeter of the fields. Stadium lighting would have profound negative impacts on our entire community:

• Increased Taxes

  Lights will decrease property values and increase costs for both the school and town relating to insurance, security and cleanup. These will drive taxes even higher than the school plans to this coming May.

• Increased Flooding Risk

  Turfing the fields has already increased flooding in town. Adding both the weight and below ground support structure for massive poles will disrupt mitigation systems and harm both the school and town.

• Quality of Life

  Evening practices and games mean unreasonable levels of noise, crowds, light and traffic during hours when young children are studying, preparing for bed, or sleeping and families are otherwise winding down for the day.

• Infrastructure Strain

  Parking is already inadequate. Cars and buses idle illegally along nearby streets during daytime events, blocking driveways and fire lanes. Lights would extend these problems into evening hours.

• Health Concerns

  Research links stadium lighting to disrupted circadian rhythms, depressed melatonin levels, and increased risks of cancer, obesity, depression, and diabetes—particularly concerning with LED technology.

• Damage to Architectural Character and Landscape

  Even when the lights are off, the giant industrial poles would be visible from more than a hundred homes across the village - even from the iconic "four corners" intersection at Pondfield and Midland Avenues.

• Light Pollution and Environmental Impacts

  When the lights are in use, a LED glow will hover over the school campus and surrounding neighborhood, harming the environment, exacerbating light pollution and disrupting wildlife.

• Broken Trust

  Many residents chose their homes based on the community's established character. The 2014 decision against lights became part of the implicit compact between the school and the community.