If Mi Casa Tamales loud music makes you crazy ---- (San Antonio: real estate, subdivision)

[doss1]

What, no one else deals with the daily pachangas in their neighborhood??

[mrstxcop]

OK... i came home tonight around 1045pm... Driving down Old Fredericksburg Rd, with my car windows down, I heard the music... Drove up into my driveway and into garage, got out of car, left the garage door open, still heard the music... Came in the house, nothing... My middle daughter was going to sleep when I walked in, her room is the very first room in the front of the house, and I went in, closed her door and listened, nothing, we could not hear the music at all...

I hope the music wasn't too bad for anybody else...

Also, for the record, and in Gigi's defense, there are several parents I have spoken to at my daughters school, who live in the neighborhoods across I-10, and when they find out where I live they ask right away if I have a problem with the music from Mi Casa the way they do... They always complain about hearing the music in their houses... One mother said she heard the music clearly in her master bedroom... I would love to get the bottom of the mystery as to why the music is heard so clearly across the highway, in homes, but is not heard in my house, which is less than a mile away (as the crow flies)...

[Gigi45]

It was very loud tonight until they got rained out .

Our house is roughly 3/4 miles away as the crow flies. The speakers squarely face my neighborhood. Add a little wind blowing in my direction and you have very loud music in the house.

[CptnRn]

There was a similar problem with a club SW of Austin last year, the Nutty Brown Cafe. There is a long discussion thread about it here. //www.city-data.com/forum/austi...-belterra.html

The owner of the Nutty Brown Cafe was totally uncooperative with the neighborhood, and even made fun of their complaints, until several of them joined together and brought a law suit against him. One individual, Joshua Leasure, who is an Acoustical Engineer, got involved in the thread discussion, visited houses and the neighborhood and produced documentation showing the sound levels they were having to live with was excessive. The last I heard, the owner of the Nutty Brown Cafe ended up hiring him to help them correct the noise problems. Joshua Leasure goes by the City-Data moniker of "RevMen".

The people in the Nutty Brown area were in a similar situation, they were outside of the City Limits so the Austin noise ordinance did not apply, and the Sheriff's Dept. indicated that there was no County law they could enforce. So the only recourse for the home owners was a law suit. I can't imagine any jury in a civil lawsuit ever finding that people do not have the right to the quiet enjoyment of their homes, and the right to be protected against the unwelcome intrusion of excessive noise being generated by a neighbor.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by mrstxcop

Also, for the record, and in Gigi's defense, there are several parents I have spoken to at my daughters school, who live in the neighborhoods across I-10, and when they find out where I live they ask right away if I have a problem with the music from Mi Casa the way they do... They always complain about hearing the music in their houses... One mother said she heard the music clearly in her master bedroom... I would love to get the bottom of the mystery as to why the music is heard so clearly across the highway, in homes, but is not heard in my house, which is less than a mile away (as the crow flies)...

I took one acoustics class in college while working on my architectural degree, sound can bounce around in funny ways dispersing in some areas but focusing in others. Sound does not travel uniformly through space, it will be absorbed by some surfaces, and reflected by others.

[Gigi45]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

There was a similar problem with a club SW of Austin last year, the Nutty Brown Cafe. There is a long discussion thread about it here. //www.city-data.com/forum/austi...-belterra.html

The owner of the Nutty Brown Cafe was totally uncooperative with the neighborhood, and even made fun of their complaints, until several of them joined together and brought a law suit against him. One individual, Joshua Leasure, who is an Acoustical Engineer, got involved in the thread discussion, visited houses and the neighborhood and produced documentation showing the sound levels they were having to live with was excessive. The last I heard, the owner of the Nutty Brown Cafe ended up hiring him to help them correct the noise problems. Joshua Leasure goes by the City-Data moniker of "RevMen".

The people in the Nutty Brown area were in a similar situation, they were outside of the City Limits so the Austin noise ordinance did not apply, and the Sheriff's Dept. indicated that there was no County law they could enforce. So the only recourse for the home owners was a law suit. I can't imagine any jury in a civil lawsuit ever finding that people do not have the right to the quiet enjoyment of their homes, and the right to be protected against the unwelcome intrusion of excessive noise being generated by a neighbor.

Thank your for this. I will certainly check it out thoroughly. A quick perusal of the information yielded this from the TABC:

Sec. 101.62. OFFENSIVE NOISE ON PREMISES. No licensee or permittee, on premises under his control, may maintain or permit a radio, television, amplifier, piano, phonograph, music machine, orchestra, band, singer, speaker, entertainer, or other device or person that produces, amplifies, or projects music or other sound that is loud, vociferous, vulgar, indecent, lewd, or otherwise offensive to persons on or near the licensed premises.

[Merovee]

Perhaps soundproof windows and better insulation would keep the sound out?

In either case no one should have to suffer through noise pollution of this type when in their residence. It all can take a toll on your health if this is routine.

[RevMen]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

There was a similar problem with a club SW of Austin last year, the Nutty Brown Cafe. There is a long discussion thread about it here. //www.city-data.com/forum/austi...-belterra.html

The owner of the Nutty Brown Cafe was totally uncooperative with the neighborhood, and even made fun of their complaints, until several of them joined together and brought a law suit against him. One individual, Joshua Leasure, who is an Acoustical Engineer, got involved in the thread discussion, visited houses and the neighborhood and produced documentation showing the sound levels they were having to live with was excessive. The last I heard, the owner of the Nutty Brown Cafe ended up hiring him to help them correct the noise problems. Joshua Leasure goes by the City-Data moniker of "RevMen".

The people in the Nutty Brown area were in a similar situation, they were outside of the City Limits so the Austin noise ordinance did not apply, and the Sheriff's Dept. indicated that there was no County law they could enforce. So the only recourse for the home owners was a law suit. I can't imagine any jury in a civil lawsuit ever finding that people do not have the right to the quiet enjoyment of their homes, and the right to be protected against the unwelcome intrusion of excessive noise being generated by a neighbor.

And here I am.

The Nutty Brown situation does seem to be very similar to this one. Texas forbids counties from enacting things such as noise ordinances, so people in unincorporated areas are on their own to figure out ways of gaining leverage in a noise dispute.

After working with Mike Farr, the owner of the Nutty Brown, for several months now, I can honestly say that he has put forth a very real effort (and a substantial amount of money) to make peace with his neighbors and do what's right without losing his business. Before he brought me on board, he had tried a number of changes to his venue and conducted frequent noise measurements of his performances. With the help of someone more versed in acoustics, he's been able to make some progress.

The simple reality is noise from outdoor concert venues is very hard to contain, especially out in the country where ambient noise levels are low. There are things that can be done, but there's no silver bullet.

The hilly Texas terrain makes for some very interesting acoustic effects. People miles away will be bothered by the music while people half a mile away can barely hear it. I've made the most progress in finding a solution for The Nutty Brown by studying the terrain in the area. Weather is also a major factor, as Gigi has figured out on her own.

From Gigi's house it may seem like the concert is unconscionably loud, but I'm willing to bet that in the venue it doesn't seem especially loud at all. There may be some thing that can be done to better control noise from the venue. If the restaurant is serious about reducing their impact on their neighbors, they should consider seeking the help of an acoustical engineer.

[mrstxcop]

RevMan... you are so correct... We are so close to Mi Casa, we could realistically walk there... If I had to guess, as the crow flies, we are actually about a 1/2 mile away, if that... Yes, we can hear the music outside but once inside, nothing... I have only ever heard the music in the front part of my house 1 time, which was last year... But nothing like the people in the other neighborhoods complain about...

In fact, this past weekend, my friend, who lives across the highway from Mi Casa, in another neighborhood, one that is directly across the street from my daughters school and is exactly 2 miles away (not as the crow flies) said that she could hear the music so loud and clear she thought Kevin Fowler was giving the concert in her backyard...

This whole area is surrounded by hills, some closer than others... It's just fascinating to me how the acoustic effects are affecting this area...

[Gigi45]

Originally Posted by RevMen

And here I am.

The Nutty Brown situation does seem to be very similar to this one. Texas forbids counties from enacting things such as noise ordinances, so people in unincorporated areas are on their own to figure out ways of gaining leverage in a noise dispute.

After working with Mike Farr, the owner of the Nutty Brown, for several months now, I can honestly say that he has put forth a very real effort (and a substantial amount of money) to make peace with his neighbors and do what's right without losing his business. Before he brought me on board, he had tried a number of changes to his venue and conducted frequent noise measurements of his performances. With the help of someone more versed in acoustics, he's been able to make some progress.

The simple reality is noise from outdoor concert venues is very hard to contain, especially out in the country where ambient noise levels are low. There are things that can be done, but there's no silver bullet.

The hilly Texas terrain makes for some very interesting acoustic effects. People miles away will be bothered by the music while people half a mile away can barely hear it. I've made the most progress in finding a solution for The Nutty Brown by studying the terrain in the area. Weather is also a major factor, as Gigi has figured out on her own.

From Gigi's house it may seem like the concert is unconscionably loud, but I'm willing to bet that in the venue it doesn't seem especially loud at all. There may be some thing that can be done to better control noise from the venue. If the restaurant is serious about reducing their impact on their neighbors, they should consider seeking the help of an acoustical engineer.

I really do wish they would seek help to alleviate the problem. They have some sort of live music most weekends from April-Sept. You can hear every single bit of it at my house. I wouldn't mind 3 big concerts a year, but every weekend for months drives me crazy.
I do sincerely hope we don't have to file a lawsuit to get it stopped.