Noise NIMBYs: Should Hoboken Crackdown on Noise Complaint Complaints?

That bar next door gets a little loud, doesn’t it?

That bar—the one that employs dozens of people, serving as a vital cog in the economic engine of Hoboken’s hospitality industry… the one that has been a bar since before your parents made you somewhere out in the suburbs… the one that made Hoboken seem like a desirable place to live in your formative years—that bar can be loud sometimes.

It may have been a different bar, but odds are it was a bar when you moved here. It was probably a place where you hung out—it might even be the place where you met your significant other. Dare we say that without that bar, you might not have your little bundle of joy?

We dare… we dare…

Yes, bars can get loud. Yes, there should be a point of compromise… but that’s just it—compromise rarely comes into the equation. Hoboken’s Noise NIMBYS call to complain about the perceived ruckus coming from establishments—specifically those housing live music—and the reaction is typically a one-sided, capricious clampdown on the club.

In his latest column, Hoboken writer and business owner Stephen Bailey takes a look at the ordinance recently passed in San Francisco aimed at protecting live music and the venues that support it:

“This is a bold move on the part of San Francisco’s elected officials. In an era when the noise nazis have been winning many battles against culture, the need for — and hopeful success of — this legislation boils down to simple economics. San Francisco — like New York and even li’l ol’ Hoboken — relies heavily on tourism and entertainment as a base for tax revenue. And a big part of that is live music. Whether it be cover bands, original bands, show tunes, opera, jazz or whatever. And yes, some of it is loud but all of it is potential money for the city.”

CLICK HERE to read more of Bailey’s impassioned appeal.