Manatee Chamber of Commerce launches noise ordinance survey

In the wake of a growing concern about the future of Bradenton’s entertainment district on Ninth Street West, the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce launched a survey of its own Friday addressing a possible new noise ordinance.

The survey mimics one Motorworks Brewing launched earlier this week that received hundreds of responses, with an overwhelming number in support of loosening the city’s current 10 p.m. noise level restrictions for outdoor entertainment.

The city is now considering piggy-backing on a noise ordinance being drafted by Manatee County that many feel is even more restrictive and would hinder development of an entertainment district.

Bob Bartz, chamber president, said if the city is serious about an entertainment district and the redevelopment of an urban district, “Then a noise ordinance needs to be addressed sooner rather than later to avoid problems of people moving in and not understanding what the issues are.”

Bartz said the chamber’s position is that the county’s ordinance is even more restrictive. He said the chamber’s survey will “provide valuable input” as officials decide what to do.

“We’ve met with a couple of groups, the police departments and planning directors,” said Bartz. “We’ve received a lot of input. The fact is, you just need to be out in front of an issue before it becomes a bigger problem if you are serious about having an entertainment district and redeveloping that urban core.”

Motorworks is calling for the city to adopt an ordinance similar to St. Petersburg’s, which allows for outdoor entertainment until 11 p.m. weeknights and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays within its entertainment district. Ward 3 Councilman Patrick Roff has been leading the fight for the city to address its ordinance.

“We obviously have a lot of work to do,” said Roff. “My main goal was to get away from the cops using decibel meters, but it seems the time change is the big push right now. We may need to find a happy medium and find something that works for everyone, the business owners and the residents.”

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Manatee Chamber of Commerce launches noise ordinance survey."