We homeowners at Bookmen Lofts and Bookmen Stacks have anchored our neighborhood since 2005 when our 102 homes were created. We have invested substantial money into our homes, buildings, property taxes, and in outdoor improvements that benefit everyone around us. The purpose of this document is to petition our Councilmember and neighborhood representatives to enforce City codes and return us to the reasonable “quiet enjoyment” of our homes.

As a result of our presence, neighborhood businesses have arrived, stabilized, and grown, surrounding property values have increased, and the neighborhood has been primed for development. We help keep the neighborhood clean and safe. We spend significant money with our local restaurants, breweries, and shops; we kept them going during the pandemic.

We chose to live in an urban environment, but we didn’t agree to be abused by private developers who are benefitting from what we created. Each project takes liberties with the noise ordinances, extending long days of brutally loud construction outside permitted hours. Each approaches its own disruptions as temporary, a necessary evil to help finish within time and budget constraints. Permits and ordinances are violated. Each “exception” adds to the chaos. These assaults on our lives were not discussed in approval hearings where proposers said they would adhere to the rules. In four years, we’ve lived through six long, extremely noisy and messy construction projects so far.

Even our tightly closed-up homes are invaded with sound and light. Our view-shed and home interiors are flooded by extremely bright lighting all night, every night, disrupting our sleep. The project reps cite security needs; we don’t understand how bright lighting on the outside of every floor of a mid- or high-rise makes it more secure. Data sets on the negative health effects of urban over-lighting are vast. We can’t reasonably enjoy our outdoor spaces during evenings or weekends. We’re losing neighbors who hit the breaking point—this hurts our community and property values.

Four new or expanded businesses around us claimed to have temporary permits for extra lighting and outdoor amplified music during the pandemic. They cited the need to bring in business during a time when many businesses were failing. We generally tolerated all this unless things truly got out of hand—drunk patrons shouting and vomiting in our plazas and next to our private terraces and windows, or truly unbearable noise levels. Now, everyone around us takes liberties beyond their permitted activities in an intensified competition for the bar crowd.

We’ve taken measurements to document the situation. After trying as good neighbors to work through these issues with each project and business, we’ve been forced to fall back on making 911 and 311 complaints. Graze has treated us with extreme rudeness when we have contacted them to ask to please bring the outdoor sound down to ordinance levels. They aren’t the only culprit, just the most abusive. Other businesses seem to listen but then repeat the bad behavior.

On multiple evenings in June (and especially on June 17th), our interiors were actually vibrating from the music levels coming from one bar’s outdoor patio, with all windows and doors shut. We again documented and called; the manager was polite but dismissive, stating that they had an event permit. When reminded that an event permit does not allow projection over 90 decibels from 50 feet away (and we are much further away than that), the manager was unmoved. At least two households made report calls to the City. These did not appear to make any difference.

We’re providing this petition to demonstrate the scale of the problem and request speedy solutions.

Respectfully,

The Residents of Bookmen Lofts and Bookmen Stacks