Noise ordinance discussion began in April with council suggesting that residents and business owners compromise on a solution, and noise ordinance discussion was revisited in June.
The former noise ordinance allowed up to 85 decibels between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. For businesses located within 150 feet of a residential district or home, the decibel limit after 10 p.m. dropped to 75 decibels.
District 4 Council Member Katie Cunningham said the issue with noise cannot be fixed by a noise ordinance, and council and staff need to look at the unified development code to come up with a permanent solution.
“If we are insistent on doing something, then I think we should go with the committee recommendation because that is what we directed staff to find,” Cunningham said. “We directed staff to work with citizens and to work with businesses to find a compromise.”
Under the approved amendment, live outdoor music venues will be limited to Fridays and Saturdays and are to cease at 11 p.m.
Decibel limits are 75 decibels between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., and 65 decibels between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m.
The amended ordinance also created a Special Music Venue Permit allowing businesses to produce sound at 75 decibels from 10 a.m.-11 p.m. This permit includes a $50 fee and other criteria to ensure that businesses do not have noise leakage around the stage area.
