For 30 minutes Tuesday, the City Council chambers sounded more like a music hall than a legislative meeting place.
Large speakers were set up blasting pop and hip-hop music. Some officials bobbed along with the tunes; others held sound readers to experience what 95 decibels of amplified sound feels and sounds like before voting whether to nearly double the permitted sound levels for 10 blocks of downtown.
The music was cranked up louder as officials stepped into the foyer and shut the double doors. The sound readers ticked to 95. That’s when the wall began to vibrate, rattling each council member’s framed photo.
When it came time to vote on the ordinance five hours later, the council voted to shrink the boundaries of the music district — where venues will be able to apply for a permit to play louder music — and lowered the allowable bass level to 90 decibels. But the council deferred a first vote on the ordinance for another week because of the numerous changes.
The proposed ordinance was offered as a solution to consistent complaints from Southside residents over the noise coming from the popular music venue Track 29. But the ordinance has sparked a debate downtown over whether the creating a sound district that excludes some local music venues, bars and event halls is fair, and whether raising the levels of permitted noise so close to neighborhoods protects the interests of a growing number of residents living downtown.