City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: DECEMBER 7, 2021
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Introduction and First Reading of An Ordinance to Amend Title 11 Chapter 5: Noise Control Ordinance.
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ISSUE: Should City Council adopt certain policy updates to the noise ordinance with the goal of making noise control more fair, equitable and enforceable?
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RECOMMENDATION:? That City Council approve the proposed noise ordinance amendments (Attachment 2) on first reading and schedule it for second reading, public hearing and final passage on Saturday, December 18, 2021.
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BACKGROUND: The City's noise ordinance was first passed in 1963. Since that time, numerous changes have taken place within the City and at the State level that necessitate the noise ordinance to be updated to reflect current case law, city property use patterns, and present sources of noise. The revisions required to address these needs include both administrative and policy changes. Due to the complexity of this process, Council approved that the revisions be addressed in two phases. Phase I revision addressed administrative changes to make the noise ordinance legally enforceable and also added a new institutional property use. The Phase I revisions were adopted by Council on May 15, 2021.
This memorandum reviews policy options that were subject to public input and discussed with City Council in its work session on November 9, 2021. The proposed ordinance has been revised based on Council feedback.
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DISCUSSION:? On November 9, 2021, City staff presented City Council with ten potential policy options and requested guidance. Based on Council guidance, staff recommends the following nine policy options that are included in the final revised noise ordinance. Staff also has included some potential variations for several policy options for Council consideration (Attachment 5). Should Coun...
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