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Resident urges council to revisit Palmetto Bluff noise exemption after amplified events
Summary
A Palmetto Bluff resident told the Town of Bluffton council that amplified outdoor events at the Montage Hotel repeatedly exceed town noise limits and that an exemption for POA/development agreements may be hindering enforcement; council said staff and counsel will re-examine the exemption and meet stakeholders.
Jan Albero, a Palmetto Bluff resident, asked the Bluffton Town Council on March 11 to address increasingly large outdoor events at the Montage Hotel that she said are disruptive, run past 10 p.m., and often exceed the town’s noise limits. "They include outdoor entertainment and disturb neighboring residences often beyond 10 PM," Albero said, and she told council that more than 300 residents have signed a petition.
The mayor and council acknowledged the complaints and noted a standing exemption in the town code. Councilmember Finger said council adopted a set of exemptions in 2014 that treated some property owners associations subject to development agreements as able to set their own event rules. "In my opinion, exempts Palmetto Bluff," he said, adding that litigation and the developer/POA relationship create complexity. The mayor said he would ask the town attorney to clarify the legal position after public comment.
Councilmembers said they have scheduled outreach with Palmetto Bluff representatives and that a review of the exemption will be folded into the town’s current noise-ordinance update. Staff and counsel flagged the upcoming opportunity to examine the language and the application of section 12-85r of the town code. Mayor Toomer and other councilmembers described the goal as finding a solution that protects residents while recognizing development agreements that predate the ordinance.
The public comments and council responses did not produce an immediate change to the code. Councilmember(s) said staff will meet with Palmetto Bluff stakeholders (a meeting was scheduled for May 1) and that counsel will report back with options for clarifying or limiting the exemption. The council did not take a formal vote at the March 11 meeting.
