Yeah, that's good.

Thanks everybody for coming to this special public hearing on the uh proposed ordinance to address noise from amplified sound at commercial establishments.

Um hopefully all of you uh got word from the clerk's office that we had um twenty-eight people signed up and we have an hour, so we're gonna do two minutes each, and what I would do is encourage y'all to go ahead and sort of uh line up um uh down here, I can just name the first five people if you want to uh get in line.

Daniel Lovenheim, John Zimmerman, Evan Duke, Angela Floyd, Larry Miller, and we'll go ahead and kick this off.

Okay.

Please, yep.

All right.

Uh my name is Dan Lovenheim.

You all know me.

I've actually met with all of you for periods of time.

I I haven't been here for many, many years, probably half a decade and spoken before this council.

Um, but I've been involved with this issue for well over a decade.

My presence here is actually an olive branch.

We're not here to try to be argumentative or combative, but we do sort of have one request fundamentally, and that is that before you make another decision in as many years as to what the new noise ordinance will be, that you go to the Glenwood South Entertainment District around midnight on a Saturday and see what these numbers on paper actually mean in reality.

Otherwise, we're literally all talking about the smell of a restaurant a week ago and all of our opinions about it.

All of us here who are here to speak tonight have a very vested interest in the district.

These people earn their lives and livelihoods in it.

And I don't think you realize that the constant changes over as many years affect hundreds and hundreds of staff members of these places.

Thank you very much for your time.

What up, counsel?

My name is John Zimmerman, and I'm the operating partner at the Village on Glenwood.

I'm here tonight alongside my staff and community, not to fight you, but to ask that you not rush this new noise ordinance through.

And first come out for yourself to hear what these decibel limits mean.

We've been here before more than once.

Two ordinances ago, we had a decibel-based system, and your city staff even publicly said, it's on ABC 11, that decibel meters can't tell which business the sound is coming from.

That's why that version was tossed.

Then we shifted to the reasonable person standard, and that too is now being tossed.

And somehow we're jumping right back into the same decibel system that was already proven unworkable and abandoned.

How does that make sense?

If the old system couldn't fairly identify who's responsible for noise, what's changed now?

Under the reasonable person standard, I became the person to be ticketed to an unfair degree.

I've had eight civil infractions, six misdemeanors beaten in court, and I have 15 still pending simply because of the way in which the ordinance was being incorrectly enforced.

On January 3rd, when every other bar was told they were in an education phase, I was the only one ticketed.

That's not enforcement, that's selective enforcement.

And since that night, no one downtown has received another ticket.

It seems that once the city's enforcement practices were publicly questioned, they realized they were on shaky ground.

Now we're back to a decibel based system with limits so low, every single downtown bar would be in violation on a weekend night.

That's not regulating noise.

That's setting a district up for failure.

This isn't about me.

It's about the bartenders, barbacks, and security staff who rely on these jobs.

It's about keeping downtown Raleigh vibrant, alive, and fair.

And I'll say this.

If this new noise ordinance goes through as written, it will adversely affect business so badly that my dog Gus will not be able to get it the treats he deserves.

So I'm asking you, slow this down.

Don't rush it through this time.

Come out for yourselves, listen to what these numbers actually mean before you guys make a decision.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Evan Duke.

Good evening, members of the community.

My name is Evan, and I live one block away from Glenwood South.

I also manage one of the bars in the district.

So the neighborhood isn't just where I work, it's where I live.

It's where I spend most of my everyday life and where I've built my livelihood.

Like many of my colleagues in the nightlife industry, this is a major part of my income and that of my staff.

Come Friday and Saturday, the nights between uh 10 and 2 a.m.

Those few hours are what sustained us through the week.

When new or unreasonable in the window ordinances are restricted.

Our abilities to operate during those times, it directly threatens our livelihood and it uh it makes us not able to support our families.

What's frustrating is that we are already a tremendous effort into managing the sound responsibility.

We have digital sound systems that are what have built-in limiters, and we consistently monitor the volume levels.

And we work hard to keep uh dialogue with our neighbors in law enforcement.

Yet despite these efforts, the rules around the net noise in the nightlife seems to change almost every year.

It's confusing and it's unpredictable, and it makes us incredibly difficult to run a sustainable, responsible business.

On a typical weekend night, there can be up to 10,000 people on the Glenwood streets.

And that kind of energy naturally brings a certain level of sounds.

It's part of the character and the rhythm of this district, and setting the decibel limits below the natural equilibrium we all have adapted does not just affect the bars and the clubs.

It ripples out to every worker, every vendor, every small business owner, and everybody in this nightlife economy.

We love the city and we want to make it a continuing positive part of it.

All we ask is uh for consistency and fairness, understanding that Glenlit South nightlife isn't just a problem to be solved.

It's a community that supports hundreds of livelihoods, mine included.

And I just wanted to say thank you for your time and considering your impact.

The decisions have on all of us to call us Glenwood South.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And then while Angela Floyd's coming down, uh the next after, and then Larry, uh Bryce Holbrook, Brian Kite, Jamar Davis.

If y'all want to come on down.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council members.

Um thank you for this opportunity.

I want to also thank you for taking the time um to revisit this issue of sound and noise.

I think it's a very important one.

I've lived in Glenwood South for 11 years.

So I've been through all these iterations we're talking about.

I wholeheartedly support this new noise ordinance.

There are a couple things I just want to point out for your consideration after looking through it extensively.

One would be compliance and enforcement.

I think it's essential that we do have the trained staff, the four trained staff that are called out by Brian Kite, who is the expert in sound, you know, the guy from Austin who worked with you diligently to get this get this thing in place.

Um he's visited all up and down Glenwood South.

Um I think he has incredible experience, and I know you guys do too.

The second thing is I think data.

You know, we need data immediately to begin tracking.

We've lacked that all along in the city.

How do we know how we're doing if we don't measure it?

So I think we need monthly data that's available to you and available to the public.

That you know will talk about if there are citations, if there's proactive enforcement, what that looks like, what the outcome was, any kind of hearings, where we are with that.

Um I do disagree with the step down for Glenwood South at 12 midnight.

I think it should be the same as it is across the city, which is 10 p.m.

And I just want to call out my neighbors that came out to support me.

Um we live in Glenwood South.

Uh we represent ourselves.

We are not a part of Glenwood South Neighborhood Collaborative, so they don't represent and express our views.

Um but I do want to say that members of the Glenwood South neighborhood community live all up and down the street and they'll raise their hands here.

You can see who they are.

Um and some couldn't, but they've written you and given you feedback.

So um once again, um we stand together as a community.

We want to live in Glenwood South.

We want to be able to play and sleep.

Thank you.

Larry Miller.

Good evening, Mayor Cowell and uh City Council members.

Uh I'm here on my name's Larry Miller.

I'm here on behalf of myself, not uh Glenwood South Neighborhood Collaborative, because uh obviously there are different views among the our members.

So uh first of all, I just uh I want to say what I like about this ordinance.

I agree with the objective standard.

Uh that's a step in the right direction, having an objective standard.

Uh I agree with having non-sworn officers who are trained to uh evaluate the sound.

Uh having the police officers respond to complaints just wasn't a good idea.

You need to have uh trained people who know how to uh operate the sound meters and then then they can do the uh enforcement.

Uh and I do agree with having a different standard for Glenwood South.

It's obviously it's a hospitality district, totally different from the rest of the city.

It it needs a different standard.

The one thing that I do have an issue with is uh on the compliance.

Um the decibel levels by the consultant, when he did the decibel levels, he used uh sound measure protocol called LEQ, equivalent continuous level that was measured over a 15-second level.

The decibel levels that are in the ordinance don't make any reference to that.

So it could be interpreted to be a decibel level at any second, any any uh time.

The LEQ is averaged over time.

It's some are up, some are down, some uh but it's the average over 15 seconds.

It's a better measure, and that's uh what uh the professionals recommend for doing this.

Otherwise, you're going to have uh spikes that will cause uh an infraction.

And so I think that needs to be specified in the ordinance.

It doesn't say that.

That's it.

Thank you.

And then while um Bryce Holbrook's coming down, then I have uh after Brian and Jamar, Dean Kittelson and Kenneth Locklear, if they want to cue up as well.

Hello, ladies and gentlemen of the council.

Hi, my name is Bryce Holbrook.

I'm currently a student putting myself through college.

I spend most of my weekends working just to keep up with tuition, rent, and bills.

These noise ordinances might sound small on paper, but they really affect people like me.

When I finally get a break from work and from school, I just want to relax, spend some time with friends, and even enjoy the Raleigh community we're all a part of.

When noise limits become too strict, they take away spaces where students and locals can connect with one another.

We're not trying to take or we're not trying to do cause problems.

We're just trying to live, work, and make it through life.

Finally, I'd like to say thank you for the time to speak and to vote against the noise ordinance.

Thank you.

Good evening, counsel.

My name is Brian Kite.

I've been working in the Glenwood South Entertainment District for over 15 years.

Also lived down there for 10 years.

Kind of just want to share my experience with Glenwood South so far and uh what I go through on like a daily daily basis there.

On any given weekend, there are up to 10,000 people on those streets between 10 p.m.

10 p.m.

and 2 a.m.

That's the center of Raleigh's nightlife.

And that's when we make most of our revenue.

For me, this isn't just some job.

It's how I take care of my family.

I have a wife and three kids I provide for, and that money we make on Friday and Saturday night is what keeps the roof over our heads.

I spent countless hours moving speakers, building sound walls, and adjusting levels to stay in compliance.

Yet every shift comes with a sense of uncertainty, wondering if a noise complaint or random reading could be the thing that shuts us down.

That kind of stress can wear on you, especially when your family depends on you.

For a while now, the city's been revisiting and adjusting the noise and nightlife ordinances.

And while I understand what's being asked of us, turn your music down.

That expectation doesn't match the reality of what Glenwood South is today.

We're not asking for special treatment.

We're asking for a realistic ordinance that reflects what this district has become and how it truly operates.

It's the center of Raleigh's nightlife.

Lastly, as you make your decisions on this ordinance, please remember behind every bar, restaurant, and venue in the entertainment district, there are real people and families who rely on it.

Thank you.

Hi everyone, my name is Jamar Davis.

I'm a manager in the Glenwood South District, and I've worked, lived, and partied in this area for several years.

So I see both sides of it.

Not just the nightlife, but the neighborhood too.

For me and most of the people who work in these venues, this isn't just a party scene.

It's how we make our living.

The reality is about 90% of our income happens between 10 p.m.

and 2 a.m.

on Friday and Saturday nights.

When an unreasonable noise ordinance gets passed, it doesn't just turn down the music.

It turns down our ability to pay rent, support our families, and keep people employed.

We already take countless steps every night to manage sound levels, from digital systems to directional speakers and monitoring apps.

But when there are thousands of people out on a weekend night, setting decibel limits below what Glenwood South naturally sits at just isn't realistic.

It's important for City Council and the community to understand that these so-called nightclubs are run by good people.

Bartenders, barbacks, DJs, security managers, we're all just trying to make an honest living.

We are part of the Glenwood South community, and all we're asking for is a fair chance to keep doing what we do responsibly.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And then while Dean Kittelson is coming down, I have Alexis Cambareri, Josh Von Cannon, and Kim O'Sullivan as the next uh up.

Good evening.

My name is Dean Kittelson, and I'm one of the owner operating partners at Pearl Imperil, located on 322 Glenwood Avenue.

I also live at 650 West North Street, and I've lived in the Glenwood area for over 11 years now.

I'm here tonight to express my negative impact opinion on the noise ordinance that we have that only on my livelihood as well as my employees' livelihood.

To keep our bar lively, energetic and fun, our music and entertainment has to be elevated.

Our decibel levels have to be elevated to keep our crowd in the bar.

With doing so, I routinely check the night, the decibel levels outside, keep the lower level down at a lower decibel level, and also close the windows and do anything I can to help keep that level low.

Pearl Imperil is a quirky little neighborhood, beachy bar, a pirate bar with hundreds of regulars that live just steps away on Glenwood Avenue.

Our hours operations are from 5 p.m.

to 2 a.m.

daily with the majority of our business coming after 10 p.m.

The bar's revenue, this if this noise ordinance took effect, this would essentially nullify our bar's revenue, my income, and most importantly, my employees' income.

Not to mention all the other industries that would take a hit on this, whether the beverage industry, the Raleigh beverage industry, the liquor reps, the beer reps, most of their products were sold after 10 p.m.

on Glevel Avenue at this time.

Also, Wake County ABC.

Most of their products are sold after 10 p.m.

at this time.

The trickle effect is endless.

I eat, sleep, and breathe Glenwood Avenue and its community.

I moved down here to be a part of the the vibrancy of it, and I absolutely love it.

In the future, we look forward to working with the city and make sure that we're in compliance and together we can make Glenwood Avenue not only the best place to live, work, but the best place to visit North Carolina.

Thank you.

Kenneth Lockley.

Good evening, Council members.

My name is Kenneth Lochlear.

I'm the GM of a nightclub on Glenwood South.

I'm here today to talk more, to talk about more than just sound.

I'm talking about survival for every business owner, manager, and employee in the Glenwood South District.

We spend a majority of our time uh time and energy focused on our operations, staffing, and compliance.

Yet the brutal reality of the nightlife economy is this.

We generate close to 90% of our income in a single narrow window.

Friday and Saturday nights between 10 p.m.

and 2 a.m.

When you consider that fact, an unreasonable noise ordinance isn't just a regulatory regulatory hurdle, it's a direct threat to the livelihoods of hundreds of people.

We want to be good neighbors and we prove it every night.

We invest heavily in sophisticated digital sound systems and taking countless steps to ensure that we are emitting controlled reasonable levels of noise.

Finally, we must consider the crowd factor.

With thousands of people in the streets, a certain sound level is inevitable.

Setting decibel limits below the natural equilibrium level of that is reached over the past few years is a fundamental problem.

It effectively prevents us from operating.

We urge you to recognize the economic fragility, stabilize these ordinances, and work with us to maintain fair standard that protects our businesses while respecting the community balance we have already achieved.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

And then while Alexis is coming up, uh Jeff Green and Gabby Long are the next two after.

Hi, my name is Alexis Cambrai, and I'm the general manager for 23 and Up Lounge called Westwood on Glenwood South.

I am also the event coordinator for Oak City Events on Glenwood.

I have worked in downtown Raleigh and hospitality for the last 16 plus years.

I'm a single mother with two wonderful boys, five and eight.

My job allows me to support my family and provide a stable financial foundation for our future.

Each year the City Council seems to change noise, nightlife, AEP, HDEP, and other sound-related ordinances.

And it's been confusing and quite exhausting.

These constant changes affect our businesses, our personal lives, and our livelihood, and they seem to change every year.

I ask that you hear what we are all here to say tonight as this is real and it's and it matters to each and every one of us personally.

If you are just trying to get it right this time, we implore you to not just push the ordinance through, but instead we ask you to come first out to the Glenwood South Entertainment District on a Saturday evening, enjoy dinner and see for yourselves that the numbers on the paper in front of you are what they really mean.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Josh Von Cannon.

Well, I had a great speech written up, but I think I'm just going to wing it if that's okay with everyone.

Good evening, everyone, and good evening, everyone.

Thanks for everybody showing up.

I'm in Bar uh Whiskey Rose, right there at the corner of uh West and Tucker Street.

Uh I've been on Glenwood South for since 2017 in a nightlife for overall 20 years.

Uh for the past few years, the sound ordinance has been all over the place.

Uh all we ask is a fair chance to do it right this time.

Um, and that's all we're asking for.

Uh you're going after livelihoods of a lot of people by cutting back the sound and energy and the vibrancy of that area.

Uh we understand people live out there, but we also want a fair chance to to come together to figure out what we can make work from both sides of the coin.

Uh just got to understand that we are here making our livings and supporting families and everything else, just like everybody else.

And that's really all I got.

Thank you so much.

Kim O'Sullivan.

Hi, good evening, council.

Uh, my name is Kim O'Sullivan, and I'm the chief administrative officer for Oak City Group, which manages nine bars in Glenwood South.

I'm also a single mother of two college-age kids, and I have been working in the hospitality industry for the past 15 years, with most of that time being spent at Oak City Group.

My livelihood and financial foundation depend on the success of the bars that I oversee.

The nine bars that we have in Glenwood South employ almost 400 people who depend on the income that they earn at those establishments.

These businesses operate in the entertainment district and generate the majority of their revenue on Friday and Saturday nights between 10 p.m.

and 2 a.m.

Um each year.

The uh ordinances for nightlife, AEP, HDEP, and other sound-related ordinances change.

And that's been confusing for us, uh, exhausting, and uh hopefully no longer necessary after this.

Um the changes in these ordinances do affect our businesses, our lives and our livelihoods, and um we hope to stop that from changing year after year.

And that I ask that you hear what all of us are here to say because it is really important and it matters to all of us.

Um, and that we implore you to just not push this new ordinance through quickly, but do come out on a Saturday night around midnight and actually see for yourselves exactly what's going on and understand that the numbers on the paper for the recommendation for the decibel levels may not actually be what you think they are.

Um thank you very much for hearing me.

Thank you.

Jeff Green.

Good evening, counsel.

My name is Jeff Green, and I have been managing some of downtown Raleigh's most popular bars for over 25 years.

In that time, I've learned that many factors contribute to running a successful bar.

But one of the most important and one that we can fully control is the atmosphere we create.

That atmosphere depends on having a hospital, inviting staff, and maintaining a safe, welcoming environment for everyone.

But just as importantly, it depends on the energy and entertainment we provide through live music and DJs.

The very heartbeat of Raleigh's nightlife.

Imposing a decibel level limit on our establishments would severely diminish that atmosphere and energy, directly impacting the experience we offer to the thousands of guests who visit the Glenwest South Entertainment District every weekend.

For me, this is more than a business concern, it's personal.

I've been fortunate enough to build a career in this industry, providing a great life for my wife and two young daughters as a bartender, general manager, and operating partner.

Please don't take away the ability for me and the others in this community to continue doing what we love and serving the city we care about.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Gabby Long.

Hello.

Good evening, Mayor Cow, Council Members and staff.

My name is Gabriella Long, and I'm the community outreach organizer and patient advocate for a woman's choice.

Like many others, I have read the proposed changes to the current noise ordinance, and I'm here tonight out of concern for what these changes could mean for our patients.

People already facing enough challenges by the time they arrive at our facility.

From what I've read, there is nothing in these amendments that would limit or restrict excessive noises around noise-sensitive areas such as health care facilities during regular operating hours.

I'm not asking you to stop progress.

I'm asking you to keep humanity at the center of these decisions.

Relying on inconsistent enforcement of the current ordinance has not been helpful for our patients, our staff, or the surrounding community.

Excessive noise, especially amplified shouting, continues to reach well inside our building, disrupting care and creating distress for our patients and vulnerable moments.

Studies have shown that high levels of noise increased stress, heart rate, and blood pressure, all of which negatively impact recovery and well-being.

This is not only a matter of a public health and safety issue.

I respectfully ask the council to recognize health care facilities as noise-sensitive areas within the ordinance.

Apply the same standard to both amplified and unamplified sound within 300 feet of these facilities.

Assign one of the proposed noise monitors to the clinic area on days when amplifying sound is used, and ensure consistent training and enforcement by RPD officers in a noise-sensitive areas.

If my statement tonight is not enough, I urge of you, I urge each of you to visit our facility and witness these transgressions for yourselves.

Step into our patients' shoes, hear what they hear, and experience what it is like for them to seek care under those conditions.

These changes are not about limiting free speech, they are about protecting the health, dignity, and safety of everyone in our community.

Thank you for your time and for your continued service to the people of Raleigh.

Thank you.

Stephen Blake.

Hello, Mayor Cowell and Council members.

My name is Stephen Blake.

I'm a volunteer legal observer at a woman's choice clinic in Raleigh.

The current noise ordinance, Section 12507, prohibits the creation of unreasonable noise within a hundred and fifty-foot perimeter from a noise-sensitive area, including health care facilities providing treatment requiring patient recovery.

It also prohibits amplified noise that disturbs a reasonable person is audible beyond 300 feet during daytime.

I respectfully urge the City Council to strengthen and not weaken protections provided to noise-sensitive areas.

As a legal observer, I've been present at the clinic on multiple occasions when the Raleigh Police Department was summoned because of unreasonable noise audible to patients entering and leaving in the clinic as well as to patients and staff inside the clinic recovery area.

Protesters standing at the edge of the clinic property will yell at high volume towards a clinic.

Persistent yelling, yelling, often unamplified, constitutes unreasonable noise by using any reasonable standard and is a disruptive for clinic staff treating patients and distressing to any patient recovering from a procedure.

Research has demonstrated that exposure to unreasonable noise negatively impacts patient recovery.

This is also a quality of life issue for the surrounding neighborhood.

Enforcement of the ordinance has been very inconsistent.

Protesters have been warned to move beyond the 100-foot perimeter specified for noise-sensitive areas on only a few occasions, and to my knowledge, no citations have been issued.

Patients and staff are being subjected to the unreasonable noise disruption multiple times per week.

Thank you.

Kelsey McLean.

Hello.

My name is Kelsey, and I'm a volunteer at a woman's choice of Raleigh, which is located at Drake Circle.

I'm here tonight to address uh the proposed changes to the noise ordinance, especially around amplified sound, unamplified sound, and the way that decibel limits have not resulted in any relief thus far, as well as the ways that we lack clarity and consistent enforcement of reasonable noise level standards and how this has resulted in chaos and just genuine harassment happening blocks away from Glenwood at a woman's choice.

As you can imagine, uh this office sees anti-abortion groups engaging in harassment, which often takes the form of screaming and shouting, both amplified and not.

In addition to my volunteer role, I'm a former employee.

I actually held um Gabby's role previously, and I can speak to firsthand how this is not a new issue.

This is one that was going on years ago when I worked in that role.

And I could see the physiological impact on patients on what we called protester days versus non-protester days.

They came in easier to talk to, easier to comfort, easier to collect medical histories on.

There wasn't the constant buzz of harassment outside, drifting in every time the doors opened and heard through the windows of the facility, interfering with our patient care.

Additionally, uh the level of distress the patients experienced is what inspired me to continue doing my work at the clinic.

Patients deserve a peaceful environment, and that is something that the city of Raleigh has either refused to do or been unable to do for decades.

And if the city won't do it, we will.

That's why our work is on behalf of the patients.

It's why we're out there every day, and we know we can't take away the stress or improve health outcomes, but we can at least be a supportive loving person standing by your side in the face of so much harassment and intimidation.

I can also speak to the fact that I feel the noise level deep in my bones after every shift.

I have to ride home in silence a brief period to allow my hearing to recover.

I physically have ringing in my ears after being out there due to the noise level, none of which has been enforced by Raleigh PD, despite them being out there.

Thank you.

Ashley Robertson.

Good evening.

My name is Ashley Robertson.

I'm the assistant general manager at Westwood down on Glenwood South.

I have worked in the hospitality industry for over a decade.

I'm a single mother of three wonderful kids.

I have a daughter who's a senior in high school, two boys who are five and ten.

This job allows me to provide for my family and give my children a stable financial foundation for our future.

The constant changes are affecting our businesses, our personal lives, and also our livelihoods.

And they seem to change every year.

I ask that you hear what we are all hearing to say, here to say tonight, as this matters to each and every one of us on a deep personal level.

Please, before just pushing this ordinance through, come out to Glenwood South, see what it's like after midnight, and understand that that what you see, these numbers on paper aren't just what they are, but please come and experience it yourselves.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Matthew Golden Kelly.

Hey, good evening, everybody.

Um is Matthew Golden.

I'm one of the owners of Bow Stream Peace and Brew Yard and Raleigh.

Um we've owned it for over four years now.

We've been having live music shows on our yard out there for almost four years.

Um I just wanted to talk to everybody here tonight, and I know there's some some concerned neighbors and I think we've kind of had a lot of discussions with a lot of members of City Council here over the last you know year or two about what we can do about noise ordinances and what we can do about reasonableness.

And I think that original attempt was a you know was a valid attempt and a legitimate attempt to limit sound in a reasonable way.

It just became sort of uh too you know subjective and we kind of need an objective standard.

And this might come as a surprise to some of the residents here, but I fully support the new proposed sound ordinance that the City of Raleigh has worked very hard with, with their new hospitality nightlife department, with the sound consultants, with every member of City Council.

I think it's a reasonable uh limit, and I think it's you know it's lower than some of our shows have been with big touring acts.

Um, but I think we can adjust and we can make the necessary adjustments and monitor the adjustments and the noise in a way that we can comply with with the ordinance.

And I would go as far as to say is we don't even intend to have music after 10 p.m.

Uh, I think the proposal is 11 p.m.

Friday, Saturday.

We don't want to be a disturbance or a nuisance to our neighbors.

I live a half a mile away.

I have several neighbors here that are here in support of us today.

Um, you know, I've got a five-year-old and a nine-year-old.

We go up there all the time for bands, for cover bands.

They they get up there, they dance, they have a good time.

Um, this has become a major part of our business.

Um we've sold over 20,000 tickets year to date, over 500,000 in revenue, over $50,000 sales and use tax to the state.

Um I would just end by saying continue to work with the city.

Thank you.

Catherine Wilson.

I'm Lauren Markley.

Okay.

Okay.

Uh hi, my name is Lauren Markley.

Um, I live on Dennis Avenue.

Thank you to everyone for the opportunity to speak this evening, and thank you for taking this issue very seriously.

I am one of those neighbors who is affected by the music coming from Bowstring Brew Yard.

Um since spring of 2024, we have been hearing their live music very clearly in our neighborhood, in our formerly very quiet neighborhood.

We are not a downtown neighborhood.

We're not close to Glenwood South.

Um Bowstring is roughly 3,400 feet, that's 0.6 miles from my house, multiple nights each week, four to five nights each week, depending on their schedule.

Um we hear the music and we hear every single note of almost every concert.

It is loud and clear, not just the thumping base.

Um Atlantic Avenue, Capitol Boulevard, and a large industrial area are between us.

There's nothing but treetops blocking the music.

Um Bowstring sits at about 265 feet in elevation.

My house, their stage is a bit higher.

My house is at 280 feet.

The valley between us bottoms out at 215 feet, and that's roughly a diff distance difference of a six-story building, and there are no six-story buildings between us.

I know that their music bounces off a metal wall that is north of their stage, and it bounces right back up into up into our neighborhood with nothing blocking it.

The constant presence of music has had a profoundly negative effect on my husband's and my ability to enjoy our own home and our property.

And you know, this has been going on for a year and a half.

The problem is still unresolved, despite multiple emails to city council, despite multiple noise complaint calls, not just for me, but we have a whole ton of neighbors right here.

Um I appreciate that some soundproofing efforts have been made, but they are unfortunately not directly addressing the problem.

Um I'm very concerned with the new noise ordinance that if no provisions are made, allowing for detailed evaluations of topography, including elevations where physical noise barriers might or might not be, that the new ordinance is not going to help our neighborhood.

It needs more consideration.

Thank you.

Kinsley Perry.

Good evening.

My name is Kensley Perry.

I am the security manager for Oak City Group, overseeing five bars on Glenwood South District.

I've lived and worked downtown since 2019, and I've held my current role with the company for two years.

This job is my livelihood, as well as 50 to 60 security staff that I employ on Friday and Saturday nights.

Some do this part-time, but many rely on it to support their families or as a path to further their careers in the future.

Targeting bars to quiet down Glenwood doesn't just affect owners, it hurts workers and families who depend on this industry.

Raleigh's growth depends on a thriving nightlife.

People need places to work, and people need places to go.

Restricting that progress helps nobody.

As you consider these decisions, I ask that you remember this.

Behind every bar and every business on Glenwood South are real people.

We're not just part of the nightlife, we're also part of the community.

Thank you.

DeAndre Jones.

Good evening.

My name is DeAndre, and I work in nightlife on Glenwood South.

And the bars and the venues in Glenwood South District aren't just places to grab a drink, they're gathering places.

Together we host local bands, DJs, and community events that bring college students, young professionals, and longtime Raleigh residents.

These establishments create safe, vibrant spaces where people can enjoy music, connect with one another, and experience the energy that makes downtown Raleigh such a unique and essential part of our city's identity.

But under this proposal, that energy and our livelihood is a risk.

Downtown's economy depends on nightlife, not chaos, but responsible, well-managed entertainment.

The bars in Glenwood South work hard to maintain that balance.

They monitor sound, cooperate with officers, and invest in equipment to stay compliant.

But the proposed thresholds and penalties make compliance nearly impossible.

I urge you to delay the adoption of this draft and bring venue owners, artists, and residents back to the table to find a solution that works for everyone.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Derek Andrews.

Evening, Council.

Thank you guys for taking uh time out to uh hear us and for allowing me to speak.

Uh my name's Derek Andrews.

I've lived in Raleigh for about 20 years.

Uh ten of those I've worked on Glenwood South.

Um I love seeing this city so vibrant and full of life every night.

And uh I especially enjoy seeing getting to take care of people that are visiting from other areas of which there are hundreds, if not thousands, every week.

I I don't see how we can continue to attract new residents or grow as a capital city if we pass measures that harm such a vital part of our community's ecosystem.

Mismanaged noise ordinances will cripple night life.

I fear not only for the livelihoods of my friends and co-workers, but for my own as well.

This is how I make a living, and I'm scared of what will happen to all of us and to the city that I love if something damaging were to pass.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Krista Padget.

Hi, I'm Krista Padgett.

I live 3,210 feet from Bowstring.

I so appreciate having heard from Matthew Golden.

And thank you, Castleman Branch, for setting up a meeting with us for the next couple of weeks.

And I love music, but I prefer to have to leave the house to be able to hear it.

So the first point I want to be able to make is that none of my neighbors, all of these people and 300 houses more, are trying to shut down Bowstring, and we're not trying to stop live music in Raleigh.

We want an ordinance that creates that peaceably coexisting thing that you all are going for.

The second point I want to make is that we need expectations around decibels, but we also need them around distance.

And I think we're, I mean, literally, we're the case study for that.

We're Woodcrest and Belvedere Park.

Sound Solutions made a fascinating case study about us.

I suggest everybody read it if you don't understand these things.

And it explains why things are how they are for us.

It's possible that 70 decibels at Bowstring is still going to make it so that I'm listening to Fleetwood Mac covers from my bed.

And we have neighbors who can't put their kids to bed.

We have people who aren't opening their windows between Tuesday and Saturday nights.

So I do think that we can work on it.

And I actually agree with bandowners who are saying, can we slow this down?

Can we come together and try to figure this out together?

The third point I want to be able to make is that we're not just a couple of nagging neighbors.

And in that you can find people everywhere who are listening to Bowstring's music inside their houses.

So it's as if you're trying to sleep here, and there's live music at the at the governor's mansion, and that sound is carried carrying down Fayetteville Street, past the Capitol, museums, and your thank you.

Thank you.

Aaron White.

Hello, my name is Aaron White.

I also live in the Belvedere Park, Woodcrest neighborhood.

I support local music.

I support everything that these bar owners have spoken for.

I'm not interested in harming Bowstring's business, but I live over half a mile from Bowstring.

In my backyard, I can clearly hear all the lyrics, all the music inside I can hear the baseline and feel the baseline.

So I think to reiterate what some other speakers have said, I'm really asking that the ordinance include provision for distance.

I think, as said before, the sound engineer uh found a 70 decibel level at Bowstring that would not, under the current draft ordinance, require them to obtain a permit.

Without a permit, there wouldn't actually be any additional requirements for them to put in any sound control into their current operation.

And so I'm really interested in uh finding a way to explore what those distance requirements might be.

Half a mile for that sort of intrusive sound in our houses is really, I think, uh unusual and unacceptable.

So thank you very much for your time.

Thank you.

I think Mark Turner had said he could not attend today, right?

But he sent in an email and then Linda Brinkley.

Does not appear to be here.

Okay.

Um that concludes the public hearing.

And then we need a was it 15-minute break or 20-minute break before the I know we have 16.

Is that sufficient?

Okay.

So we will conclude the public hearing and then we will start the public comment at 7 p.m.

Thank you all for coming out.