The Community Safety Committee met today for its February meeting, part of which included a discussion about the Charlotte noise ordinance and how it might be changed.
With city attorney Mac McCarley going over all of the proposed changes, he often used the word balance to discuss what the changes would try to achieve. While some residents wouldn’t be happy with some amendments, some business owners might not be happy with others.
The biggest issue at hand has to do with music inside and outside of the Uptown area and where it is within earshot of residential areas.
Among the proposed changes —
* Prohibiting amplified noise in the right-of-way (protests, street preachers and musicians) before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and after 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. And the permit for such activity would have to be on-site.
* Any restaurant or bar within 400 feet of residential zoning would not be allowed to have live, outdoor, amplified music.
This would include events such as P-Stone Fest at the Philosopher’s Stone, NoDa outdoor live music events such as the ones held at Salvador Deli, or even musicians on patios, unless they were acoustic and not using an amplifier. There’d be no permit – they just wouldn’t be allowed to happen.
* Venues that are not within 400 feet of residential zoning would be allowed to have 15 hours total of live, outdoor, amplified music per year.
This would be for venues such as Dixies that is Uptown, not in a residential area and has concerts such as the Gravedigger’s Ball in the parking lot.
Three venues in town — Symphony Park, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre and Road Runner Mobile Amphitheatre — would be handled on a case by case basis because they have more than 5000 people attending their events. In all likelihood, nothing would change for
McCarley noted that the issue about outdoor amplified music is a “bonfire ready to be lit” between residents and restaurant owners.
While more issues were discussed and the changes are still open for modification, it was noted that some residents are pushing the charge for them to be approved before the warm weather begins this year.
While no comments were allowed from the public at this meeting, there will be a comments time at the March meeting which is tentatively scheduled for March 21 at 2 p.m.
This article appears in Feb 15-21, 2011.
FUCK EVERYONE WHO PROPOSED THIS RIDICULOUS LEGISLATION. I HOPE YOU ALL GET YOUR EARS BLOWN OUT IN A VIOLENT CAR ACCIDENT.
I do not support this at all. I hope the city strikes this down. Anyone who supports this would have to be awfully lame. If you don’t want to deal with a good time on Friday night than don’t live in NODA next to a theater.
This is ridiculous! Why do you move into these trendy downtown neighborhoods, and then demand that they cripple themselves by doing away with or dramatically limiting what has made them trendy in the first place? You want peace and quiet, you should have bought property in the country or the suburbs. This is a substantial part of the life-force of a bustling metropolitan, and by limiting it, you are limiting the growth of this city and it’s artistic potential. If you don’t enjoy city noise, DON’T LIVE IN THE CITY.
Interesting, though it should be noted that Salvador Deli has been closed for several months now, since its owner died, so there won’t be any live music in that spot until someone else starts up a great deli and beer and wine store who cares greatly about his community and wants to support live music.
Where is the March meeting going to be? I have a few comments I may wish to make.
Maybe councilwoman Patsy Kinsey and all the other snivels that are fortunate enough to live just blocks from P-Stone should pack their shit up and move to Ballatyne, where it’s quiet.
Absolutely terrible. Charlotte is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States and this is a surefire way to cripple that growth. I hate to break it to all the supporters of this amendment, but you live in a Metropolitan area. How about instead of thinking only of yourself, realize this is how other people make a living, too!! You should know better than to move into the heart of uptown (or anywhere extremely close to where live music is played) and expect the city to change on such a selfish accord. And if you’re a Northerner, you should be embarrassed for supporting such an amendment. You know better!
I mean really… 15 hours per year? Talk about stunting our cultural appreciation in this down — which is sad already as is…
Who needs culture and fun? We will always be a city 15 years behind if we continue to follow very old ways of thinking. We’re not talking house parties that have music bugging the next door neighbors, were talking live music that adults pay hard earned money to see on a Friday night. We are 10 minutes away from living in an opressed, non-pc society.
Maybe if liberals weren’t so intent on turning to government to be everywhere in everything at every moment, government wouldn’t feel like it was entitled to pass something like this that finally gets liberals stirred up.
Liberal mantra: “raise taxes, raise spending, renew the patriot act, keep Gitmo open, spend $100 billion a year on Afghanistan, but GOD DAMN IT LET ME LISTEN TO MUSIC OUTDOORS!”
Not all residents of support this ordinance!! I live in Elizabeth and am NEVER bothered by the music!! There is a reason we live in an URBAN neighborhood, and if you don’t like – MOVE OUT!!
I think all residents of the surrounding neighborhoods should SPEAK UP! Let the music play!!
When nearly one out of every ten people you pass in this city is unemployed, this isn’t even the time to CONSIDER something that would have a drastic effect on the livelihoods of many residents. That’s inherently more important than whether or not some busybody can hear music coming from a bar.
And poor Len was quite obviously off his meds last night.
Ok, so apparently they want to kill music. Do you even know the percentage of people in the area that make their living off this kind of music? You’re putting people out of jobs and out of entertainment. Some resturaunts are visited only for having amplified music. Personally, I think you should mind your own business and leave us musicians alone.
so as a new functioning member of society (so i was told)… meaning i work a 8-5 job… compared to my old job in the hospitably biz… i can’t attended the meeting… guess it will be a sick day!!!
@ Kieth and anyone concerned with the situation @ SALVADOR DELI. I have lived, worked and played hard in NoDa for the past 5yrs. I started the Deli/Outdoor music scene. I will c it thru. Ask anyone in NoDa. I was the first musician to ever plug into the wall at the Deli. Yes, Stuwart is dead, but the neighborhood isnt. I’m not. And quite honestly, the death of Stuwart Sloan has propelled our NODA community into a deeper, more heart-felt commitment to each others individual and collective pursuits of artistic expression. What I’m sayin is… We got each other’s backs in NoDa and would gladly rise up to destroy any opposition to our lively-hood. The current/new owner of S.Deli also owns the recently opened Jack Beagle’s in NoDa. He is a good friend of mine and has every intention of continuing and supporting our events in the parking lot. We dont do concerts in the winter season anyway. Starting the first friday in May, we will begin our events. Have you ever seen First Fri. with HEAVY ROTATION? We are quite loud and often offensive in the name of relative and objective truth. Come see for yourself …P.s. Don’t ever underestimate a community based on a death in that community. It Aint Ovah!
This will put many musicians out of work. There are hundreds in our city that depend on this as their income. Are these guys gonna create jobs for them? Charlotte the home of taking jobs from the arts!
I just love all of the “if you don’t like it, move” comments. Pretty much the same small-town sentiment as “America, love it or leave it!” Then again, what do you expect?
You do realize that most cities, even cities with music scenes far better than ours like Austin and NYC, have stricter codes, right?
You’re wrong, Nope. In NY you just can’t have music that creates 45 db of sound in a residential apartment. The proposed Charlotte noise ordinance would mean you couldn’t produce sounds higher than about 55 db period. 55 db is very low and most likely wouldn’t be audible in a nearby home or apartment, even if you were right next door.
Austin requires you to get a permit, but after that the regulations are very loose. The Charlotte ordinance would only allow 15 hours yearly of live music for those who successfully get a permit.
Do some research before you make broad, sweeping statements that turn out to be incorrect.
Austin: http://www.nonoise.org/lawlib/cities/austin.htm
NYC: http://www.nonoise.org/lawlib/cities/newyork.htm
Oh, one more thing, the meeting has been changed to 3 pm on March 21st.
Amazing that this stuff even gets heard by politicians and attorneys when we have real problems to deal with. If you do not like the environment where you live- move. If you do not like the hustle and bustle of the City, there is always the bucolic life filled with crickets and animal noises….but I guess you people in support will want to ban those as well. Have fun!!!
Nope,you belong in the suburbs
You do realize that “45 db of sound in a residential apartment” is about as loud as most libraries, right?
That’s nice Dusty. I guess I didn’t realize there was a difference between the burbs and what you people call a city. Sorry.
Have you people even read the PROPOSED changes to the ordinance before opening your mouths and getting your panties all tied up in a knot?
First of all, this is a proposal, not a marriage.
Second, no where in the proposal does it say that outdoor music is not allowed, it just says it cannot be amplified IF it is within 400 feet of residential zoning. That does not include mixed use developments, nor urbans, nor any other bar/restaurant that is not within 400 feet of residential zoning. I doubt that there are even that many bars/restaurants that have outdoor amplified music AND are within 400 feet of residential zoning in Charlotte in the first place. Probably less than 100, maybe even less than 50!
If you want to play music at your restaurant/bar then do it, but do it for your customers and not every person driving their car, walking down the street, or living in the houses nearby. It makes sense…
Lastly, musicians can play as loud as they want, just do it indoors or play it outdoors without amplification.
Please people, before you go out there making every musician and every bar owner look irrational and like screaming babies, do some research and understand what you are actually complaining about, because the proposals do not restrict your ability to play music, simply how far it can be heard.
To: Bon Jovi, who said, “I doubt that there are even that many bars/restaurants that have outdoor amplified music AND are within 400 feet of residential zoning in Charlotte in the first place. Probably less than 100, maybe even less than 50!”
Let’s say you’re right. Your ‘Probably’ and ‘Maybe’ columns give us quite a range, so let’s go in the middle, and work with 75.
EGADS! You are correct! There aren’t that many within residential zones, including ALL of the ones in Plaza-Midwood and NoDa, and only a few more spread out within Charlotte. Based on your math, this means they would ALL be affected!
EVERYONE needs to flood that bi-ch councilwoman Patsy Kinsey, who started all this crap w/Philospohers Stone months ago, with emails/calls/letters/home dropoff’s……she’s the impetus behind all this
I know some people who live near Ed’s Tavern in Dilworth. They say Ed’s won’t turn down the volume and told them they should “sell their house” if they don’t like it. I walked past there one night and there was a HORRIBLE cover band BLASTING in there!
I say to Ed’s, if you want to have good neighbors, you’ve got to be a good neighbor.
I think this new proposed ordinance is moronic and goes too far, but Ed’s brought the punishment on themselves because they suck.