“Don’t just think that this is going to be somebody calling on the phone about a bar down the street or their neighbor next door,” said Council member Keith Young. “This opens up a larger door. I am totally not comfortable opening up a new pathway into our criminal justice system.”
Council members will consider whether to authorize City Manager Debra Campbell to pursue funding for a final site plan at 68-76 Haywood St. and 33-39 Page Ave. The estimated cost of such a design is $340,000, including $16,000 for an updated survey of the property.
Assistant City Attorney John Maddux, who serves as the city staff liaison to the Noise Ordinance Appeals Board, admitted that he currently had no good solution to the problem of commercial noise. However, he did propose numerous changes to the noise ordinance aimed at streamlining complaint resolution.
Rick Daniels, representing Mission, and Sean Devereux, a lawyer for the neighborhood, announced after a lengthy recess that the two parties would continue negotiations outside the appeals board process. However, the residents did not formally withdraw their complaint and could return to the board at a later date.
Earlier this summer, Kenilworth residents followed up on a complaint first sent to the city of Asheville in September 2017. They allege that changes Mission has made to address their noise concerns haven’t eliminated the problem — and that the health system wasn’t acting in good faith when it entered into discussions with the community.
In the years ahead, Asheville Downtown Association Board President Adrian Vassallo wants the nonprofit to help cultivate a “dynamic downtown of innovation, business and opportunity for all,” he says. “Not just a downtown playground for visitors.”
Asheville’s busking community came out in force Sept. 22 to urge city government not to place new restrictions on street performances.
At a relatively short meeting tonight, Asheville City Council signed off on stricter noise rules and a one-time $650 bonus for city employees. Photo by Max Cooper.
Follow live Twitter coverage of the Asheville City Council Nov. 13 meeting, including a vote on stricter noise rules, one-time bonuses for city employees, and an update on the possible water system merger.
Next Tuesday, Nov. 13, Asheville City Council will vote on making the city’s noise ordinance more restrictive. The new rules add shouting, yelling and parties to the list of activities that can result in a citation.
Unusually, today’s meeting of Asheville City Council’s Public Safety Committee had a packed house, as members of the public turned up to pay attention to discussions on downtown’s skateboarding ban and possible changes to the city’s noise ordinance.
A push for more restrictive noise rules throughout the city is making its way to Asheville City Council’s Public Safety Committee this afternoon, March 26. One proposal, from a member of the Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods, seeks changes to Asheville’s rules, such as designating singing, musical instruments and “noisy parties” after 10 p.m. as potential nuisances.
Street preachers using personal amplification are a regular sight at Bele Chere, but an Occupy Asheville protester was told by an Asheville Police Department officer that city ordinance requires them to put away their megaphone. However, according to City Attorney Bob Oast, the city generally allows the use of personal amplification in public space.
