[Chat] Mayor seeking community input on Live Entertainment Bill

[SLG2700 at cs.com]

Dear Neighbors:

The Baltimore Sun at http://www.baltimoresun.com is conducting a Poll of 
readers on whether Sheila Dixon should sign or veto the Live Entertainment 
Bill passed by the City Council on 10/26/2009 expanding the use of live music 
in bars and restaurants near certain Residential Areas.  Or you can send your 
comments to the Mayor c/o Kristy Taylor at Kristy.Taylor at baltimorecity.gov  
 


The CVCA Board opposed the Bill on Second Reader back in May because it 
failed to provide a licensing structure for the use that could be closely 
monitored by the City. Once again the CVCA Land Use Committee is recommending to 
the CVCA Board that it send a letter to the Mayor asking her to veto the 
Bill as passed, even with the companion bills which were introduced to make the 
bill stronger. If the CVCA Board approves this letter,  and it looks like 
it will, the letter will be sent to the Mayor on behalf of the CVCA.

Right now the vote online is 73% in favor of the Bill and 23% against. 
Please add your vote to the mix. Who knows how many non-city residents have been 
voting.

A summary of the Land Use Committee's proposed letter is as follows:

After careful consideration by its Land Use Committee and Board of 
Directors, the Charles Village Civic Association ("CVCA") opposes City Council Bill 
08-0163, the Live Entertainment Bill. This Bill is a disappointing solution 
to the initial goal of balancing the desire to expand live entertainment 
venues in neighborhood business districts with providing sufficient enforcement 
mechanisms to ensure that these establishments are good neighbors to the 
nearby residential districts. 

Adding live entertainment as a conditional use to B1 and B2 zoning areas is 
an insufficient attempt at striking the necessary balance between the 
interests of businesses and their surrounding residential communities. The Bill 
creates a burden on the communities to make and pursue complaints against 
unruly establishments instead of providing a licensing system to regularly 
monitor these establishments. The two companion bills, which were passed by the 
City Council in an effort to reduce this burden, do not go far enough to 
protect the community. 

Currently in hearings before the BMZA, our community volunteers are forced 
to spend hours waiting to oppose zoning applications for changes in our 
neighborhoods that are pushed forward by the applicants with little advance 
notice to the community. We are very concerned about the possibility that Live 
Entertainment applications will be added to that hearing list.

CVCA continues to support the creation of a licensing system for live 
entertainment venues in the City and not the abandonment of the idea. We 
appreciate the difficulties encountered during the lengthy legislative process. We 
ask you to veto City Council Bill #08-0163 so that the City Council can 
continue to consider a Live Entertainment licensing system that would enliven 
Baltimore as a creative and fun place to live and visit while protecting its 
residents.


Here is the article on the subject of Live Entertainment from Tuesday's 
paper.

--------------------
City Council approves live-entertainment bill 
--------------------

Bands, singers could perform at trendy bars, restaurants

By Annie Linskey | annie.linskey at baltsun.com

October 27 2009

The Baltimore City Council voted Monday to allow bars and restaurants in 
some of the city's trendiest neighborhoods to hire bands, singers and other 
performers, overturning a decades-old prohibition that City Council President 
Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake says has stifled nightlife in town. 

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.ci.live27oct
27,0,4607385.story 

Sharon L. Guida, Chair, CVCA Land Use Committee
2746 Maryland Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21218
410-889-0436 (home)
410-467-4409 (work)
410-467-4410 (work fax)
410-960-1139 (cell)
SLG2700 at cs.com 
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