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Solvang moves to modernize noise rules and ease small‑business barriers for live music downtown
Summary
Council directed staff to pursue a comprehensive update: allow certain live entertainment as a by‑right ancillary use, revise the noise ordinance toward measurable (decibel) standards, and add an indoor/outdoor distinction. The temporary‑use permit (TUP) and vendor fee structure will be paused or reviewed to reduce burdens on small downtown businesses.
After months of community comment and a January review, the Solvang City Council voted to direct staff to prepare a comprehensive ordinance update that would modernize the city’s noise code and allow live entertainment as an ancillary use for appropriate businesses while preserving enforcement tools to protect neighbors.
Staff described the city’s current approach: a 2009 noise ordinance adopted verbatim from county language that relies on a subjective nuisance standard and a 2024 zoning ordinance that created a $200‑per‑year temporary use permit (TUP) to allow live entertainment where it is not a primary use. Businesses and musicians urged council to remove the TUP fee and reduce bureaucratic hurdles; residents and some councilmembers expressed concerns about late‑night noise, public safety and cumulative impacts where several nearby venues might host simultaneous outdoor music.
Council chose a hybrid path (staff’s option three as modified in council direction): staff will draft simultaneous amendments to (a) allow incidental live entertainment as an ancillary use tied to a business’s ABC license rather than requiring a TUP for every occurrence, (b) modernize the noise ordinance to include measurable decibel thresholds and clear indoor vs. outdoor rules, and (c) pause enforcement of the current TUP regime for live entertainment while the code revisions are prepared. For private‑property vendor events, staff will keep the current $50 per‑vendor fee for now but will return with options for a tiered structure if council requests.
Supporters said the changes would reduce costs for small downtown businesses and help the evening economy; critics asked staff to ensure clear protections for neighbors and to include objective enforcement mechanisms (decibel readings and written thresholds) rather than relying on subjective nuisance complaints. Council voted 5‑0 to direct staff to return with draft code changes that incorporate the indoor/outdoor distinction and updated enforcement mechanisms.
What’s next: staff will draft ordinance language, engage stakeholders, and return to council with specific decibel thresholds and administrative rules (including how to handle paid events that should remain subject to conditional use or special event review).
