Austin City Council approved an ordinance on Sept. 12 that requires sound assessments for residential developments near music venues.
The ordinance requires residential building developers to obtain a sound assessment if the project site is located within 600 feet of at least one outdoor music venue or 300 feet from at least one performance venue. The ordinance went into effect Monday, and intends to ensure developers understand the sound levels within the area so they can design projects accordingly.
The initiative also includes the development of an interactive map that will allow residents to view a building’s proximity to music venues, said Taylor Smith, deputy director of government affairs at the Austin Board of REALTORS.
“There are some residents who might want to live next to a music venue because that’s the life they love, and that’s where they want to be, and they should be able to easily look at that information of buying properties that are within approximate to a music venue,” Smith said. “Then there’s other residents who do not want to be anywhere close to a music venue.”
Brian Block, entertainment services manager of Austin’s Development Services Department, said this ordinance will not change the permitting process or add rules for outdoor music venues.
“(The sound assessments are) kind of an extra layer of support and (are) encouraging what we try to do overall, which is supporting both entertainment and nightlife and music and events and residential quality of life and mobility,” Block said. “We worked hard to support them both and make sure they’re balanced, and (the ordinance) is extra steps to be proactive about that.”
According to Austin 3-1-1, the Development Services Department and Austin Police Department together received 72 noise complaints about Victory Lap, an outdoor bar and venue, since January.
Sahil Chiniwala, a physics and mathematics senior, lives directly across from Victory Lap in 2400 Nueces and said the noise from the venue caused multiple disruptions a week when it first opened last year.
“The issue was it was really loud music that was playing on weekdays and on weeknights, and that was a really, really big pain point for a lot of us in 2400,” Chiniwala said. “Me, especially, if I had a quiz or something the next day, and then they were playing loud music, and I couldn’t sleep, it was a problem.”
However, Chiniwala said the noise from Victory Lap has been a lot quieter this year.
Melissa Grady, vice president of Victory Lap’s publicity team, said in an email Victory Lap has been under new ownership since late August, and they have made it a priority to address noise complaints and violations. Grady said their team has made adjustments to the bar’s schedule, including removing late-night DJ sets.
Better transparency on sound coming from venues in an area could be a good resource, especially for outdoor music venues, said Chiniwala.
“There’s a lot of factors that go into people making these decisions (on where to live in West Campus),” Chiniwala said. “Obviously for some people, (noise is) very important, but I’m not sure how many people would find an outdoor music venue (as) a make or break. That’s one concern I have, but other than that, it seems like it would be a really good tool.”
Originally published Sept. 26, 2024, in The Daily Texan
By Erika Pernis
Graphic by Katie Shih
