The noise issue
Cibolo City Council approves the Cibolo Town Center Overlay District, which changed zoning downtown. APRIL 2007 Cibolo City Council holds its rst pre- sentation on downtown noise issues. DECEMBER 2021 Downtown residents and business owners begin meeting to compromise on noise in the city. MARCH 2022
is going on and what is supposed to be happening. Then, you have to do something.” Council discussed the UDC issue with the agreement that the city was not enforcing laws set in the UDC, which gave permission for businesses to operate without meeting the requirements. “We are where we are because we have a UDC, and we weren’t follow- ing it,” Benson said. “We have to have laws that are followed.” To address concerns in Old Town, council members said they would need to revisit the UDC and hold meetings to consider the next best steps for the city. No o cial time period was announced for addressing UDC concerns. “Do we have businesses that are not following the UDC, absolutely,” Cunningham said. “Are they these law breakers or rule breakers out to screw everyone over? Absolutely not, and I am really fed up with hearing that terminology because it creates more division. It does not x anything. We have to x the UDC.”
The noise ordinance is enacted to address noise concerns. MARCH 2016 City Council holds a presentation on a stakeholder engagement plan. JANUARY 2022 Stakeholder engagement meetings are held to come up with an agreement to be presented to council. APRIL JUNE 2022 Council approves an amendment to the noise ordinance, reducing decibel limits. JULY 2022
IN OLD TOWN CIBOLO
Cibolo City Council reviewed 60 complaints made throughout 2021, which led to the December discussion on changing the noise ordinance. Prior to 2007, Old Town Cibolo was not zoned to accommodate businesses that held live music. Due to the opening of the Old Main Icehouse, a noise ordinance was enacted in 2016.
Council reviews stakeholder feedback. JUNE 2022
SOURCE: CITY OF CIBOLO COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Using the Uni ed Development Code With resident and business own- ers expressing concerns, Cibolo City Council approved the noise ordinance amendment presented by Old Town residents and business owners. Benson said the issue moves beyond adjusting an ordinance, and some businesses downtown are not in line with the current UDC. “The reality is there are businesses down there that are not in compliance with the law,” Benson said. “People complained, and once the complaint was there, you start looking at what
leave due to noise-related issues. “I have seen my neighbors move, and I have seen my neighbors attempt to get change in place, but it didn’t happen. They left,” Savoy said. Resident Kara Latimer said the plan for Old Town Cibolo was misinter- preted, which allowed live music and entertainment venues to be close to residential homes, with some busi- nesses directly adjacent to residences. “In almost every other city from Georgetown down to San Anto- nio, you aren’t allowed to play live music within 150 feet for residents
[of residental properties],” Latimer said. “That is pretty normal, standard zoning in ampli ed sound nuisance ordinances.” Latimer said the businesses moving into the area resemble gentri cation, and the noise issue can be traced back to the lack of de nition of small-scale music venues in the Old Town Cibolo Revitalization Plan. “The con ict over people to busi- nesses or over people to people is heartbreaking,” Latimer said. “[This con ict is] over three words we didn’t de ne.”
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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NORTHEAST SAN ANTONIO METROCOM EDITION • SEPTEMBER 2022
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