CLEVELAND — Dark, dimly lit parking lots will soon be a thing of the past in Cleveland.

This week, the Cleveland City Council took steps to hold property owners accountable for dangerously dark parking lots.

In September, News 5 first told you about a grassroots safety initiative that started at the Broadway Place Apartments.

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Residents were grappling with the problem and told News 5 the dark parking lot led to a host of safety and crime issues.

“It was like a dark force,” said resident and community association president Wealthy Gibson. “It was dark in here. You couldn’t see anything until you got there.

Two months later we returned to see if anything had changed. Gibson told us management switched the lights to LEDs.

“They put it in place for 24 hours and then it came back to where it came from. And I think that’s kind of sad,” Gibson said.

News 5 reached out to Broadway Place management and the complex manager told us they will send a crew out next week to fix the lighting issues again.

Because Gibson and others spoke to their city councilor, Rebecca Maurer, the city council voted in favor of an emergency ordinance that would require property owners to adhere to enhanced lighting requirements in ten-space parking lots or more.

“This is where I live and I love where I live. It’s supposed to be for everyone, not just for me as a resident, but for all the residents who are here,” a- he declared.

Failing to meet these brighter light requirements comes with a heavy price: 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

“It all started with one small act and, truth be told, on the eve of an election…small acts matter when you’re making a call, an act of kindness when voting, those small acts matter,” Maurer said.

The law comes into force upon signature by the mayor. It is not retroactive and only affects new projects, but if an old project changes its parking lights, it will have to adhere to the new law.