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Interpreting conflicting noise ordinances imposed upon Merriweather Post Pavilion

2017; Acoustical Society of America; Volume: 142; Issue: 4_Supplement Linguagem: Inglês

10.1121/1.5014061

1520-9024

Josh Curley, S. Marie Harvey,

Hearing Loss and Rehabilitation

Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, has been host to numerous concerts and music festivals each year since it opened in 1967. Over the years, noise complaints regarding Merriweather have not been uncommon during musical acts. In 2013, a noise ordinance was placed on the venue that allows concert events to generate a noise level up to 95 dBA at a ¼-mile radius from the main stage between the hours of 9:00 AM and 11:00 PM, and 72.5 dBA at residential property lines. Between 11:00 PM and 11:30 PM, main stage noise levels must not exceed 55 dBA as measured both within the ¼-mile radius and at residential property lines. Currently, the residence closest to the main stage is approximately 1,400 feet away, just outside of the ¼-mile 95 dBA allowance; however, residential construction is planned in the next few years as close as 750 feet behind the main stage. Once these residential buildings are occupied, how will the noise ordinance be applied if main stage noise is greater than the 72.5 dBA allowance at residential buildings yet below the 95 dBA limit within the ¼-mile radius? And, how will the likely complaints regarding audible low frequency noise inside the residences, which are not addressed by the noise ordinance, be handled?