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Council removes Downtown Social District exemptions and bars amplified sound inside permitted events
Summary
Salisbury City Council voted to (1) amend the Downtown Salisbury Social District ordinance to remove exemptions so the district can be used during larger city events and (2) adopt an ordinance prohibiting amplified sound inside permitted event perimeters and within a 100-foot buffer.
Salisbury City Council voted April 15 to change two separate city-code provisions that affect downtown events: the council removed exemptions from the Downtown Salisbury Social District ordinance so the district may be used during city street festivals and certain park events, and it adopted a separate ordinance that prohibits amplified sound inside permitted event boundaries and within a 100-foot buffer.
Downtown Development Director Sada Troutman explained the social-district revision was requested after staff outreach with downtown business owners and enforcement agencies. The change removes prior exemptions that had prevented social-district beverages from being served at some larger events; staff said the revision aligns Salisbury with practices in other municipalities and that parks, police and state ABC/enforcement had no objections when staff consulted them. Councilmembers said the amendment corrects an earlier unintended consequence that limited local, tax-paying downtown businesses from operating on par with temporary vendors at major events.
City Attorney Grama Coyer presented the amplified-sound ordinance change. The revision establishes that the use of any amplified sound by persons who are not authorized by the event permit constitutes interference with a permitted event; it also sets a 100-foot buffer around a permitted event that will be reflected on event maps used by staff. Coyer said the 100-foot figure has court precedent as a reasonable buffer; council discussed whether a larger buffer might be defensible but accepted staff’s justification.
Both measures drew support from council and downtown business representatives. A member of the Downtown Bar and Restaurant Guild urged adoption to avoid business displacement during high-attendance events such as the Cheerwine Festival. Council adopted both ordinances by voice vote; staff said the amplified-sound ordinance will be accompanied by permit maps and enforcement guidance so event staff and police can apply the rule consistently.
