Public Hearing May 6 for Episcopal High School Athletic Field Lighting

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Episcopal High School, founded in 1839, and occupying 130-acres off Quaker Lane, Seminary and Braddock Road, wants approval to light its athletic fields.

According to the Episcopal High School SUP2025-00021 Staff Report, Episcopal has been considering the addition of athletic field lighting for over a year as part of campus-wide capital improvements, but plans have accelerated since the school was approved to serve as a private training site for football (soccer) teams
participating in FIFA Club World Cup 2025 being hosted at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. this summer. Episcopal has also been approved to serve as a team training site for next summer’s FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament to be held in various cities throughout North America.

The initial installation of the lighting project will be on the School’s Track Field and Hummel Bowl stadium. The poles for these two areas will also light an adjacent practice field. The lights to be installed on the Track Field are required to meet the FIFA training site standards. It is anticipated that the Track Field and adjacent fields and facilities will also be utilized as an official private training site for a team.

In addition to lights being installed on the Track Field and Hummel Bowl, lights will be installed on the school’s soccer, baseball, softball, field hockey/lacrosse fields as well as the tennis courts as part of a multi-year capital improvement program for EHS.

The lighting contractor is Musco Lighting, which specializes in lighting for sports facilities and has completed other projects in the city for the Department of Recreation Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA) and Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS).

The plan uses LED luminaires on galvanized steel light poles set on precast concrete bases. The system is designed to comply with the International Dark-Sky Associations (IDA) Community Friendly Outdoor Sports Lighting Program and provide full cutoff lighting that minimizes glare and light spillage onto adjacent
properties.

The athletic field lights will be connected to a remote facility management system to provide school staff control of the light schedules. Additionally, for now, Episcopal has utilized temporary field lighting and requests continued use until full implementation of permanent improvements.

The City’s Planning Commission is recommending approval subject to compliance with the following:

• The approval is for (10) ten years and  must be consistent with the approved lighting plan and fixtures.
• Continue to work with staff on the lighting plan for the tennis courts, softball and baseball fields, which abut off-campus residential areas.
• Use of temporary lighting may continue until permanent lighting is installed.

There is a public hearing to consider the proposal and the city’s approval on May 6, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at City Hall, Council Chamber on the second floor of 301 King Street, or participate remotely via Zoom.

The City Council is slated to hear the matter on May 17.