Virginia Beach to let the music play on — for now
Boardwalk musicians can perform as council seeks public input on noise
VIRGINIA BEACH — For now, the buskers on the boardwalk don’t have to pipe down.
The Virginia Beach City Council decided Tuesday it needs more public engagement before making changes to the city’s noise ordinance that would quiet the performers who entertain passersby for tips.
The proposed changes would allow police officers to assess noise levels by hearing alone rather than using a sound meter. First offenders would be subject to a $250 fine.
City-sponsored and permitted events would be exempt.
The council was poised to vote on the changes this week but decided Tuesday to wait until July 12.
Business owners, rankled by the unsanctioned, amplified Oceanfront performances, led the push to tighten the rules.
“We’re concerned about the image we project to our guests and to our residents, and believe this ordinance will expedite real solutions,” Randy Thompson, vice chair of the city’s Resort Advisory Commission, told the council.
But several other speakers were against it.
“It can potentially create punitive damage to artists when you have other nuisances that, to me, are considered noise,” said Kevin Joseph, a traveling musician. “There should be more of an equitable involvement of everyone that has a stake in this amendment.”
Resident Cat Porterfield said Virginia Beach’s character is at stake.
“We live in a bustling city, not a sleepy hollow,” she said. “These changes, as they are written, propose a very real threat to our identity.”
After listening to the speakers, Councilman Aaron Rouse said he wanted to hold off on a vote to allow time for more community engagement.
Councilman Guy Tower, who co-sponsored the revisions with Councilman John Moss, tried to persuade his colleagues to approve them without delay.
“We have a noise problem,”
Tower said. “I hear about it every day from guests, from residents.”
Moss said there’s no realistic way to enforce complaints about loud music in neighborhoods at night.
The existing ordinance requires police officers to use a sound level meter to measure decibels.
Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson said she thought the council would approve the ordinance Tuesday, then “tinker with it later.”
She also said her biggest concern is Oceanfront drivers revving engines late at night, and she wants the ordinance to address that.
“It’s really a problem,” Wilson said. “These motorcycles are waking people up at 2 o’clock in the morning.”
Councilman Michael Berlucchi said he also receives complaints about noisy cars in the Rose Hall district.
In the end, the council agreed to hear more feedback from residents. A community workshop will be held June 28.
“We want to get it right,” Wilson said.