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Board continues compressor noise appeal at 750 Andover to Feb. 16 for interior and exterior acoustical tests
Summary
Following contested acoustical testimony and the late disclosure of an 82.3 dB reading when the compressor ran, the Board of Appeals continued an electrical-permit appeal for a compressor at 750 Andover to Feb. 16 and required supplemental briefing and interior noise measurements.
The Board of Appeals on Dec. 15 continued an appeal challenging an electrical permit for a compressor at 750 Andover St., directing the permit holder to supply additional acoustical testing (including interior bedroom measurements) and documentation of required permits and manufacturer sound ratings before a Feb. 16, 2011 hearing.
Agent and architect Alan Toma reported ambient exterior sound readings at the site with an average decibel rating close to "61" dB on two measurement days and described plans to locate the unit inside an acoustically insulated garage closet. Toma told the board his outdoor averages were about 61 dB and that enclosure/isolation should reduce the unit to near ambient levels.
During the hearing, opposing counsel and the appellant complained the previously requested interior study (inside the tenant's bedroom) was not performed or provided in time and that an on-site test with the compressor running produced an 82.3 dB reading that was not filed in advance of the meeting. The board found the record incomplete and voted 4–1 to continue the matter to Feb. 16, 2011, giving the permit holder deadlines for a three-page brief and interior/exterior acoustical tests and requiring the permit holder to provide manufacturing ratings for the equipment.
Why it matters: Commissioners said fixed-source noise is regulated by the Department of Public Health under the municipal code (police code Article 29) and that interior noise transmission between residential units is a legitimate safety and habitability consideration. Several commissioners said they wanted to see manufacturer decibel ratings, isolated mounting techniques ("isolators") and a mutually coordinated test where both parties may observe and verify the readings.
Next steps: The board ordered the permit holder to file a three-page brief and exhibits (permit holder due two Thursdays prior; appellant due one Thursday prior), provide interior measurements inside the affected dwelling, and include manufacturer noise ratings. The matter was continued to Feb. 16, 2011, with a public hearing held and closed for the purposes of the record.
