Winston-Salem officials are weighing updates to the city’s noise ordinance ahead of the construction of a controversial downtown music venue.
The city approved the 5,000-seat amphitheater near the Benton Convention Center in September. Since then, Assistant City Manager Ben Rowe says the venue’s developers have voiced concerns about how the current ordinance is written.
“That it was too subjective," he said. "That basically it left the decision about whether something violates the ordinance at the discretion of a law enforcement officer or a magistrate.”
The site owners are asking the city to move toward more specific sound metrics, like defined decibel limits. Rowe says staff are reviewing rules in peer cities that already have similar venues, including Raleigh and Charlotte.
Noise topped the list of citizen concerns when the amphitheater was first proposed, in part because of its proximity to the Crystal Towers housing community.
Council members suggested any changes should also apply to The Grounds development on University Parkway.