Agenda - 11-22-2004-c1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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26 Attachment 3 Environmental Sound Page 11 speech and music pose difficult problems because of the information content. People do not expect to regularly recognize music orunderstand speech coming from outside they home. Quantity of sound is the major issue in densely populated areas. However, the quality of'sound is usually the stronger issue in less densely populated aeeas such as much of North Carolina. Evaluation of Environmental Sound The normal goal in environmentalnoise evaluationand controlis to assure compatibility between the noise in a community and the needs and expectations ofresidents and business owners. The federal government and national standards organizations provide some guidance.. The federal govemment regulates all transportation noise sources.. However, local governments are responsible for any regulation of local noise sources not on public roads or in the sky. Such local regulations are usually minimal. They strive only to prevent the worst of problems.. Regulatory compliance does not necessarily relieve a noise producer of responsibility if the value of property impacted by the noise is reduced. The following discusses first the general way acoustical consultants view the problem of acoustical compatbility. There is then some specific discussion of national standards and federal guidelines. Finally, local ordinances related to noise in residential areas are discussed, emphasizing those in North Carolina. Acoustical Compatibility in Site Selection and Desien Acoustical consultants aze sometimes asked to assist planners and developers in selecting sites for various facilities and in facility design. The first goal is to find a site that is as compatible acoustically with the intended usage as possible.. This then reduces the cost of design to maintain compatibility. The goal may be to find a quiet location to minimize construction cost to block noise. You would not want to place a concert hall directly in the take-off pattern of an airport, When the new usage produces sound thatwill be difficult to control, the goalis to find a location where the sound will not be a problem. This may mean large buffer spaces between sources and surrounding sensitve aeeas- The cost ofsound control is balanced against the cost of providing a buffer. Residential areas are often portrayed as especially sensitive to noise. Many communities limit noise going into residential aeeas by ordinance. Some communities have legislation prohibiting new residential development in especially noisy areas. In reality, the existing condifions and expectations in residential communities vary widely. In some communities a major asset is their peace and quiet. Such communities may be remote from city conveniences and major travel arteries. Such aeeas often attract people willing to sacrifice some convenience for the quiet In more densely populated urban areas; the primary noise concern is inside the home. People expect it to be noisy outdoors. They accept that as long as the sound penetrating the home is acceptable.