It’s extremely difficult to get a roomful of people with differing opinions and diverse backgrounds to agree on anything. Try doing it in Woodstock.
But the eight-member noise ordinance task force has seemingly accomplished the impossible. It has come up with rules for outdoor music to test for the remainder of the season.
The group had been formed in response to a call to action from those who support outdoor music venues. The goal was to come up with ground rules while at the same time keeping peace with neighbors who want quiet.
In the midst of the pandemic in 2020, town supervisor Bill McKenna enacted an executive order allowing establishments to bypass the customary site-plan review process to provide outdoor seating and entertainment. Complaints started coming in from residents, Until Covid, outdoor music had not been the norm.
Eventually, the executive order expired. Venues again had to seek planning-board approval. Some were told outdoor amplified music did not comply with zoning, Others were told it was an enforcement issue.
Adding to the complication was a 2018 noise ordinance enacted to address short-term rentals which had become raucous all-night summer party houses. That law was purposely vague so as not to include established music venues.
Last summer, supporters of outdoor music launched a petition drive urging the town board to form a committee or task force to come up with a compromise that worked for all.
After several months of work, the task force gas shared the fruits of its labor.
Outdoor venues will be limited to one large festival-type event per month or five per season, to be held Friday, Saturday or Sunday. The large events will be allowed a maximum five hours of amplification, not to start before noon and ending by 9 p.m. The police department must be given at least one week’s notice.
Weekly outdoor events will be limited to Friday through Sunday between noon and 9 p.m., with a maximum of three hours of amplification daily.
Both the large festival events and weekly outdoor music cannot exceed 75 decibels at the property line.
So-called “ambient” music will be allowed every day, but must be contained within the property lines.
The eight-member group is comprised of four members who were in favor of outdoor music and four who initially wanted greater restrictions, Members included Neher Street resident Kristen Eberhardt, Colony co-owner Alexia Burland-Howard, producer and recording engineer Julie Last, musician Jerry Marotta, Station Bar & Curio co-owner Ben Rollins, Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild member Douglas Sheer, resident Jane Young, and producer and director Chris Wangro.
“There are more live music venues here than ever before,” said Wangro, who has been director of special events for the New York City Parks Department, where he had to walk a thin line between promoting and handling major outdoor events successfully and keeping the peace with wealthy, influential neighbors on the phone with the mayor’s office if they don’t like what they hear.
In Woodstock, the hills and valleys pose a unique challenge. One might not hear music several doors down from a venue, but it can be heard up the mountain several miles away.
Neher Street resident Eberhardt is one of those residents sandwiched between two outdoor venues. She hears thumping bass permeating through her home.
It’s not just the music. “There’s an active after-party crowd. There’s brawls and yelling and screaming,” she said.
Eberhardt is not against all outdoor music. She just wants it done responsibly. “I’m just saying respect the neighbors. Let’s find a way to do this,” she said.
Through decibel limits, set times and blackout days, the proposal represents a path to allow venues and residents to co-exist.
Music producer Last said the proliferation of outdoor venues was a way for businesses to survive amid restrictions. “The venues, severely impacted by the pandemic, invested in their outdoor spaces and tried desperately to survive,” Last said. “In the warm seasons that followed, as we tiptoed back into a more relaxed existence, outdoor music was still a summertime treat, something that appealed to the tourists, livened the village economy and nurtured the spirit of Woodstock’s identity as the Colony of the Arts.” There was little awareness of how the sound was traveling to nearby homes and its serious impact on homeowners’ quality of life.
Wangro noted the meetings have been heated and contentious at times, But the members worked toward a common goal.
“We all want the venues to continue to thrive, the town to keep its musical identity and the impacted residents to have their lives back,” Last said.
“I think the task force has made some productive progress on putting together a compromise that accommodates the interests of people across the community,” Howard said.
“At this point it’s not set in stone — this summer is an opportunity to trial and see what works before the formal noise ordinance is redrafted. But this is a starting point that we can continue to discuss over the coming months as we continue to review how it’s all working.”
The rules will be incorporated into a pilot program, which ends January 2, 2024. The task force will continue to evaluate the outdoor music program and tweak the rules before making recommendations to the town board for codified regulations by April 1, 2024.
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