UPDATE AUG. 13: The City of Las Vegas will not pursue a change to the noise ordinance exception for the Arts District. Two weeks after the deadline for community input, Councilwoman Olivia Diaz, who had sponsored the proposed change, said in a statement that “from the feedback I’ve received, it’s clear the majority does not favor a change.”
“The Arts District is an authentic, home-grown area that we want to ensure remains vibrant and energized for years to come,” Diaz said. “As part of this, we will continue to have regular communications with the 18b Arts District Board members as well as other members of that community.”
ORIGINAL STORY: Last week, several Arts District businesses received a notice from the City of Las Vegas about a proposed amendment to the city’s noise curfew, which exempts the Arts District until 2 a.m. The City of Las Vegas said “nothing is imminent in terms of any changes to the noise ordinance” in the Arts District.
The proposed amendment would remove the exemption from the city’s 10 p.m. noise curfew. Outcry from community members and business owners rose on social media, with Jeff Hwang, owner of Taverna Costera, sharing on Instagram that the proposed amendment would have a negative economic impact on the entire Arts District.
“Many of the business owners in the Arts District have signed long-term leases and invested many hundreds of thousands of dollars — in some cases in the millions—into our projects with a reliance on the current noise ordinance,” said Hwang in his statement. “You wouldn’t move to Manhattan and expect the quiet of suburbia; nor would you go there and expect to quiet a neighborhood to suit what you’ve already committed to building, which is essentially what is happening here.”
In response to a request for comment, the City of Las Vegas said that it is “simply gathering feedback after hearing the concerns of some businesses in the Arts District.”
“The city did reach out to businesses in the Arts District to solicit feedback about [the ordinance] and if they think it should be amended to remove the exemption from the city’s noise chapter for certain events within the District,” the statement from a spokesman reads. “The city had received some concerns from some businesses in the Arts District about the levels of amplified sound outside of some of the other businesses. In response the city put out information and asked for feedback so that the current ordinance in the area could be reviewed.”
According to the city, businesses were sent an email and an online survey and asked to provide feedback to the city by the end of the month. Once the city receives the feedback it will be reviewed and then a decision will be made on whether an ordinance should be proposed to the City Council.
Business owners and the 18b Arts District Association nonprofit are urging businesses in the area to fill out the survey and asking the community to also speak up by sharing their comments and concerns with the city.
Community members can email AmendTitle6@lasvegasnevada.gov or mail (or hand deliver) their comments to the City of Las Vegas’ Business Licensing Division. All comments must be received no later than 5 p.m. on July 31.
