[BLAS] 5/27 Joint Hearing

[Keri Anne Griffith]

This is a repost of notes I wrote on the Hexagon's google.group.  I just wanted to share my very sparse notes about the last hearing with everyone.  Also, I left at 8pm.  It wasn't over yet, so if Dominique or someone else could post about the end of the hearing, that would be fantabulous.

 

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The bill still looks a lot like the last draft.  They just dropped the newest one today, and I'm not sure it's available online yet.  They added some enforcement measures to the bill via the Environmental Control Board.  It amounts to a $500 fine for not having proper zoning usage and/or breaking conditions placed on conditional live entertainment zoning in B1 and B2 where the zoning is opening up under the current draft.

 

Tonight was mayhem though.  LOTS of people from Fell's Point (residents, property owners, landlords, neighborhood association people) and a few from Federal Hill.  It started at 5pm.  I left at 8pm.  Testimony still wasn't over, but I just couldn't take listening to another angry resident from Fell's Point talking about the "bad actor" bars in their district.  They made some valid points. 

 

News: James Kraft said he's against the bill with the qualification that he hasn't made a public statement to that point as of yet. 

 

Mary Pat Clark basically told the zoning and planning people that she wouldn't be ok with a bill that did not include a provision that allows the zoning board to place conditions on B1 and B2 conditional use live entertainment with regards to the "type of entertainment."  In other words, she wants language in the bill that will allow zoning to say, "you can only have poetry readings and violin solos" or "you can have acoustic guitars and pianos."

 

That makes me nervous.  My head says, "beware of anything that looks like content restriction."

 

Mostly, everyone is afraid of the "rock club" opening near property they own and either (1) decreasing their property value or (2) keeping them awake all night. 

 

That was hard to hear over and over again.

 

Anyway, the current bill addresses all necessary issues to ensure that zoning can fit the conditions to the space and neighborhood.  Hell, I still think it goes to far.  It allows them to limit the number of performers, which seems bizarre and overly vague (aka number of performers per night or per week or per year? number per act?)

 

That being said, I would rather personally support this version of the bill that let more people get their hands on it and screw it up to high heavens again. 

 

It's simple now.  Sweet and simple.  It's not all the good we'd hoped to get, but it's far less of the bad.

 

Other concerns:

There were comments by those testifying that these conditions should be applied to already existing businesses.  Danger, danger!!

 

Jim Kraft asked the Law Department's representative a very pointed question about whether a condition could be placed on a business to keep them from having BYOB.  She was asked to research and report back. 

 

I think that's about it.  If I think of anything else, I'll post it.  Anyone else with notes, please post them. 
I'll be reposting this on BLAS, so I'm sorry for those of you who get this twice.

 

k.