The IOP administration’s recently crafted proposed noise ordinance will not work for a number of IOP residents. Said proposed ordinance has a number of fingerprints on the current iteration; other than the administrator’s, all are arguably commercial smudges.
We have nine City Council members who have a moral obligation to protect the citizens who live on IOP. We, and six additional property owners have been egregiously abused by our new neighbor to the north – the Sweetgrass Inn.
The WDCA board has miserably failed its fiduciary duty, unconscionably carving us out of their empire, except for dues. Conveniently, Lowe’s senior vice president, Terri Haack, has a board seat. On March 3, Debbie Stanley, president, publicly acknowledged the board is not morally obligated to aid us in this situation, further solidifying the board’s “joined at the hip relationship” with the resort.
The Facts
The Sweetgrass Inn was designed to deflect noise to the south, directly toward a residential community. Somehow, the approval process did not include notification to residential properties abutting and adjacent to the proposed site. You would think common sense and a sense of duty would prevail, with the approval body notifying those who are in harm’s way. Shame on us for not checking the IOP web page on a daily basis to monitor catastrophic events in our neighborhood.
During the past two years, said abuses are comprised of but not limited to: service deliveries at 4 a.m.; building maintenance at 6 a.m.; trash pickup at 6 a.m.; 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily outdoor amplified concerts; obnoxious loud ballroom and rooftop bar events at night; hooping and hollering all hours of the day and night; late night parties; unsupervised day care; athletic competition; food trucks; company picnics; outdoor company celebrations – J & J’s concert from hell – at night.
The hotel’s abuses resulted in annoyance, nuisance, sleep deprivation, sleep disorder, disturbances which prevent property owners from utilizing their property amenities they are taxed on and livability. The National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization identify noise that aligns with the hotel’s abuses is detrimental to one’s health.
Property owners have called the IOP police more than 40 times, which resulted in five citations, all in one night. Based on my junior high math skills, an extremely low citation-to-complaint ratio.
To further complicate the situation, the resort convinced the administrators that I am an “unreasonable person,” thus allowing the resort a “get out of jail free card” regarding 9-2-5 (c). Said section addresses “Amplified Music - Daytime Play. It shall be unlawful for any person, entity or establishment to play, operate ... in such a manner or with such unreasonably loud volume in the circumstances as to disturb the quiet, comfort or repose of any reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities in any dwelling or other residence.”
The Reality
The IOP administration has proposed different iterations of a new noise ordinance for our community. Unfortunately for the seven property owners who have families inhabiting said properties, each respective draft further deteriorates our livability. The proposed ordinance favors the Sweetgrass Inn, a commercial property located in a residential neighborhood.
Ironically, our city administrators, who do not live on IOP, are crafting ordinances which impact the people living on IOP, telling us how to live and defining our livability standards with no skin in the game.
Regardless of your position on short-term rentals, the proposed noise ordinance will dramatically compound the issue for all. The no. 1 documented issue regarding STRs: noise. Section (h) of said proposed ordinance will allow a residential or commercial property owner to apply to City Council for a permit to emit up to 85 decibels up to 15 hours a year. This chaos will exacerbate the STR situation. Frankly, the STR situation, regardless of who’s math you use, is undermined by a lack of enforcement regarding noise. A strong noise ordinance and strong enforcement, will greatly lessen the impact of STRs.
The Consequences
Fact: 70 dBAs are 10 times louder than 60 dBAs. The proposed noise ordinance allows 75 dBAs for commercial properties, 60 dBAs for residential, with the exception of 85 dBAs in the above mentioned permit. In contrast, EPA recommends maximum indoor noise levels of 45 dBAs and maximum outdoor noise level of 55 dBAs. So the question is: Who has the most medical knowledge in our community, the EPA or our IOP administrators?
Interestingly, Columbia, a college town, does not designate between residential and commercial. Their noise ordinance allows 55 dBAs from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.; 50 dBAs from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Ironically, a couple of miles up the road, a town called Mount Pleasant also combines residential and commercial – 60 dBAs from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; 55 dBAs from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. This includes Shem Creek. Passage of the proposed IOP ordinance will equate to giving a pyromaniacs matches for Christmas.
Hopefully, this is not another “it’s all about the money,” which the resort continues to flaunt in front of the Council and administrators regarding said resort’s generation of accommodations taxes.
We encourage you to review Public Safety Committee and City Council past minutes regarding our situation.
