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Redmond council debates noise-code changes, limits weekend shooting-range hours and seeks mitigation pathway
Summary
Council and planning staff proposed updates to Redmond's noise code that would restrict shooting at a local range to 10 a.m.–2 p.m. on weekends as a predictable compromise; staff also proposed a mitigation/development-agreement path that could restore hours if acoustic mitigation is implemented and proven.
Redmond officials spent the bulk of a May 26 study session debating updates to municipal noise code RMC 6.36, centering on a long-running dispute between neighbors and a nearby shooting range over noise.
Carol Heland, director of planning and community development, told the council the city's noise code was dated and that staff had proposed new hours and standards after sustained neighbor complaints. As part of a compromise incorporated into the current draft, staff recommended limiting active shooting hours at the range to 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. "When we released the original proposal that had eliminated Sundays, we heard feedback... and proposed a compromise in the draft that is before you that actually has hours for the shooting range between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays," Heland said.
To create a path that preserves range access while addressing neighborhood impacts, staff proposed a contractual mitigation process: the range could enter a development agreement in which it would install and demonstrate noise mitigation; if measurable mitigation benchmarks are met, the city could allow expanded hours under the agreement. "The theory behind that is like other development agreements that you've approved is that there is a promise made...if you essentially complete this work, we are given an approval to do something different," staff said.
Council members pressed technical and enforcement questions. Some raised the concern that "compressing" shooting into fewer hours could increase continuous noise; staff said the city has not commissioned noise studies of compressed operations and that the draft prioritizes predictability of morning and evening quiet for residents. Several council members urged staff to clarify validation methods for mitigation, who would perform measurements and whether the mitigation pathway should be implemented through business-licensing rules instead of the noise code.
Council direction: members asked staff for an additional analysis of three mitigation-processing alternatives (current proposal, development-agreement vehicle, business-license vehicle), clarification of who enforces and validates mitigation, and a distinction in the code between homeowner property maintenance and contractor work (for example, leaf blowers). No formal votes were taken; council leadership said staff will return with options and a recommended path.
