New restrictions have recently been placed on the Westover Beer Garden, a popular local business in Arlington. On Saturday, October 20, the County Board held a meeting to review the issue of noise and outdoor entertainment at the Beer Garden. The meeting was held in large part due to numerous complaints by neighbors about loud music on nights when live music was performed as well as issues of the owners not obeying restrictions put on them.
Before the meeting, county staff had recommended eliminating the use of outdoor amplified live entertainment, but allowed the Beer Garden to continue having an outdoor cafe. As a result of the meeting over the weekend, the owners will have to turn in a sound-management plan to the Board by March before being able to open entertainment again in 2019. The County Board will look at the issue again next October. Additionally, the Beer Garden will only be able to host local bands using amplified music from 6-8pm on Wednesdays and from 6-9pm on Friday and Saturday nights. Acoustic entertainment is allowed all year from 7-10pm Tuesdays through Thursdays and from 6-10pm Fridays through Sundays.
“The board recognizes that the Westover Beer Garden is a popular gathering spot for the neighborhood, but it also is close to homes,” Board Chair Katie Cristol said in a written statement.
Fellow chair Libby Garvey offered a similar sentiment, saying “we want to build community, but at the same time if people have a nice home and a nice situation, we need to make sure they suddenly don’t hear a lot of music where they live.”
Several neighbors reportedly called the police in June about noise issues. All of those calls came before 9pm, when the Beer Garden was supposed to turn off the loud music. The complaints are mainly from one angry neighbor, who reportedly called 911 over thirty times in one night. A county staff report prepared for the meeting over the weekend stated that local police got 12 calls relating to noise between April and October of this year, but nine of those calls came from the same two neighbors. Code Enforcement did a noise reading on June 15 and found that the Beer Garden had exceeded the 55 dB limit after 9pm. Eleven days later, zoning enforcement sent a warning letter to the business for exceeding the maximum noise level allowed in the approved use permit.
Bob Shellhouse is a part of the local band Hand Painted Swinger (HPS), which has performed four times at the Beer Garden. He said his band has been aware of the noise complaints, and does their best to avoid overly loud music when performing.
“We are aware of the noise level concerns at the Westover Beer Garden, so we scale things back by using a smaller drum kit and PA to help the volume. Management also reminds us to keep our volume in check too,” Shellhouse said.
Local community members have attempted to show support for the local business, arguing to the County Board that the Beer Garden music is not much of a concern.
“Live music and the arts are great for the community,” Shellhouse said.
Community members have argued that the Beer Garden has consistently followed county regulations, even when they were at times very difficult to comply with. For example, the owners were forced to build a restaurant to follow the county law that only restaurants can have live entertainment.
One nearby resident, Dee Doyle, argued in favor of the Beer Garden when speaking in front of the Board on Saturday.
“There’s some noise, but that’s part of the bargain,” Doyle said. “The benefits of this business vastly outweigh any negatives.”
According to Shellhouse, the Beer Garden has made previous adjustments to limit sound and complaints from neighbors.
“They’ve installed a noise dampening barrier that is draped behind the performers, they’ve limited the hours of performances to ensure that shows end earlier and they continually remind bands to keep the volume down when performing,” Shellhouse said.
The Beer Garden also agreed to designate a community mediator who will be at the Westover Market during open hours to communicate with neighbors regarding the noise issues. There will also be an on-site liaison during all live entertainment hours to answer concerns about the live music.
The Westover Beer Garden has proven to be a very popular business that has attracted many supporters despite its recent concerns over loud music coming after dark. While the business has certainly helped the county’s economy, the numerous noise complaints have had a large effect on the actions of the County Board. The board hopes that the restrictions resulting from the recent meeting will have a pronounced effect on the future actions of the Beer Garden, whose owners will have a chance to prove themselves when they submit a sound management plan before the spring of 2019.
