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

Browse Search

--- 27 Attachment 3 Envhonmental Sound Page 12 It is widely recognized that attitudes regarding noise vary from person to person. Actually the tolerance of a given person can vary from time to time. A young person might accept a noisier neighborhood they can afford and that is convenient to their work or school. If they like to party, they may prefer a community thatwillaccepttheirlafe-nightsounds, Theymaypreferaneighborhoodwithlate-night entertainment even ifit is loud. Later in life, they may prefer a quieter place, Once they find a quiet place in the country, they may not tolerate the same sounds they once participated in producing. Many people live in major cities but have weekend retreats, They tolerate much more noise in the city than they would tolerate at their weekend place. People also will accept infrequent special events much more readily than regularly recurring events, Aloud event once ortwice a yeaz is usually not a problem ifbeneficial to the community and well publicized, Weekly events occurring every Friday or Saturday evening aze common problems. Many factors must be considered when evaluating compatibility between a new sound source and a community, The fast is compliance with any applicable regulations. This may not be sufficient, Most - regulations aze only minimally protective. Neighborhood characteristics and expectations must be considered. Usually a sound source will affect a limited area with similaz characteristics. Sources affecting large areas may affect several neighborhoods with different characteristics, It may then be possible to directthe sound into areas where it is better accepted, Other sound-control measures are then considered. Setting an appropriate goal requires judgment and experience. Most communities will accept some new sound. If the goal is set too low, it results in extra cost for the owner of the source.. It couldjeopazdize whether a project can be built. However, developers are cautioned against setting a high initial goal and expecting to reduce the noise ifproblems develop. Once a problem is perceived, it often takes more noise reduction to satisfy neighbors. Federal Guidelines and Regulations Most Federal noise guidelines and regulations for residential areas are based on the day-night average sound level (DNL). However, they are inconsistent with some allowing much more noise than generally considered desirable. These higher limits used by some agencies were set in the 1970's based on acceptance by people who had chosen to live in such areas and by the difficulty of the agency to meet lower noise levels, This is very misleading when new 4z increased noise is imposed on communities initially developed with an expectation ofloiver noise. The existing population may have chosen to live in an area because of its quiet. That would more likely be the case if'the area is developed to appeal to people seeking a quiet environment The U.S, Envirorunental Protection Agency in 1974 recommended that L)NI, should be kept below 55 dBA in residential areas "to protect public health and welfare with an adequate margin of safety." This level corresponds to that normally present in a community of about 2000 people per square mile. This study,