Council discusses proposed changes to noise ordinance
Downtown would be an exception to normal violation requirements.
Published Dec. 24, 2009
Proposed changes to Columbia’s noise ordinance were discussed as part of a staff report during Monday night’s City Council meeting. The proposed changes would create different noise standards for the downtown area.
Under the noise ordinance, what constitutes a violation is the same for all areas of the city.
City Manager Bill Watkins said the changes are better than the standing ordinance and are supported by downtown businesses but not by the Special Business District, a non-profit organization funded primarily by property owners.
“We’re not sure if there is an obvious compromise,” Watkins said.
Under the proposal, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, noise would have to be audible from 300 feet to qualify as a violation. From 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. this distance would be reduced to 150 feet.
On weekends from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. noise would also have to be audible from 300 feet. From 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. every day, noise audible at 50 feet or more would be considered a violation.
In a letter, SBD Director Carrie Gartner said the SBD board has some concerns with the draft of the ordinance. Among these, Gartner stated there might be unintended consequences from the changing the ordinance, and she said there is a question as to whether a problem really exists.
Second Ward Councilman Jason Thornhill echoed that latter sentiment.
“I can’t help the feeling we’re trying to fix a problem we don’t have,” he said. “I like the proposed tweaks to what we have, but I’m not under the impression this is widespread. I don’t think its keeping people from living downtown.”
Describing the problem as “silent,” Fifth Ward Councilwoman Laura Nauser said this is an issue that could become more serious in the future if more people move into the downtown.
“We have a residential standard in a downtown,” Nauser said of the ordinance. “So people have the same expectation of peace and quiet in downtown as they would in say the suburbs.”
According to the report presented to the council, these changes are improvements over the existing ordinance.
Although Fourth Ward Councilman Jerry Wade agreed with the city staff’s recommendation to move forward, he had some reservations about the ordinance.
“I think we need to move ahead, but I think we also need to move ahead realizing that we are on a downtown transformation path in which one of our goals is significantly higher levels of residences,” Wade said. “And so I think we need to walk carefully, and I don’t know what that means.”
Mayor Darwin Hindman also agreed it was time to move forward.
“We got the SBD objections to it and got a chance to look at them,” Hindman said. “To me, the ordinance is a good starting point.”