“Not in my backyard!” Better known as NIMBY, an acronym that has become notorious for its environmental polemic in human justice.
Except this time, we are not talking about resistance to the installation of wind turbines, construction of neighboring power plants or concern for polluted groundwater.
This recent case of “NIMBY” in Scottsdale is a public petition against a different kind of pollution: out-of-control sound levels originating from bars and nightclubs in the entertainment district of Old Town.
Old Town’s entertainment district, including bars such as The Mint, Spanish Fly, Shotgun Betty’s and El Hefe, spans a couple of miles from Camelback Road to Sixth Street.
Since coverage of the issue first emerged in summer of 2010, the debate has spawned tension between bar owners and Old Town residents: it’s more than the annoyance of loud music.
While business owners are catering to their patrons with cutting-edge drinks and bumping bass, nearby neighbors are experiencing residual effects such as break-ins, littered lawns and overflow parking, as reported on July 29 by Edward Gately in The Arizona Republic.
Under Item 25 of Request For Modification of Noise Ordinance, a memo addressed to City Clerk Carolyn Jagger on July 5, resident Kathy Livingston wrote: “Many of the local residents do not even feel safe leaving their homes in the evening — they are prisoners to the bar business overflow ... the trash and behaviors spill to the streets.”
It seems the residents enjoy the reputation and tourism that the entertainment district breeds, yet disapprove of the party being brought home.
Littering and vandalism, in general, are unacceptable. However, bar businesses have enough liabilities as it is, such as dram shop law.
When intoxicated citizens demonstrate unlawful behavior out on the streets, it is the law enforcement’s responsibility to step in and handle the situation.
NIMBY syndrome in Old Town is disconcerting because of the threat it poses to other entertainment districts, such as Mill Avenue, a large party hub for ASU students. Mill Avenue is essential to the community. It provides jobs, entertainment and tourism.
These circumstances are a textbook example of what Carissa Schively describes as “social response to unwanted facilities” in the February 2007 issue of Journal of Planning Literature. This phenomenon causes members of society to raise contentions with industries, without first calculating the social damage it can cause.
What it all boils down to is accountability and respecting your surroundings. Residents need to understand the powerful role the entertainment district plays in the community, while bar patrons need to be mindful of how their actions reflect on local watering holes.
To co-exist in harmony, both parties must work collaboratively when issues arise. If successful, this symbiotic relationship could help the community continue to thrive.
Forward your noise to britni.adams@asu.edu
