A developer has apologized to a number of residents in Vancouver’s West End who complained of bright lights emanating from a Safeway grocery store.
When panels outside the new Safeway in the 1600-block of Davie Street were lit up Wednesday night, nearby apartments were flooded with light, prompting numerous complaints to the store and the city.
Resident James Sweatman took to Twitter to say the “horrific light wall” had rendered “any hope of sleep in my apartment hopeless.”
Resident Annette Moidl said the light glowed up her apartment even after her blinds were lowered. She noted that neighbours on lower floors were likely worse off as the lights shone directly into their apartments.
“The light is quite intense,” she said.
The new grocery store is part of a mixed-use development that replaced the old Safeway that was demolished back in 2017.
Developer Westbank Corp. has apologized, saying an error in programming resulted in the lights being left on overnight.
The panels are intended to be lit during the day and into the early evening, but not overnight.