Commission requests sound-muffling measures
STACY RYBURN
sryburn@nwadg.com
NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. WAMPLER
Customers have lunch at JJ’s Beer Garden and Brewing Co. in Fayetteville. The business recently applied for a change to its existing permit with the city that would allow the venue to have 18 additional concerts a year.
Plans by a recently opened restaurant and music venue to expand hours and shows have drawn the ire of several residents living nearby — and a reprimand from planning commissioners.
JJ’s Beer Garden and Brewing Co., which opened this summer at 3615 N. Steele Blvd., regularly has hosted free concerts on Thursday evenings. Planning commissioners in December 2015 granted the restaurant a permit to have music one night a week from 6-9 p.m.
On Sept. 11, the commission considered changes to the permit that would give JJ’s 18 concert dates in addition to the Thursday shows and allow music until 11 p.m. Commissioners tabled the request 6-0 until the next meeting. Then, in a special meeting Sept. 14, the Planning Commission voted 7-0 to let the restaurant and music venue host a charity event with music Sept. 17 for First Tee of Northwest Arkansas.
Commissioner Sloan Scroggin said he likes everything about the place except for what’s happened with the music. He encouraged owner Jody Thornton to work with the neighbors. Thornton apologized for not bringing up the event earlier, adding he thought his request would get approval.
At the Sept. 11 meeting, Jonathan Curth, city planner, said his staff has received numerous complaints about the establishment from residents who live in a subdivision just to the southwest. Complaints focused largely on the noise coming from the outdoor stage area during concerts and soundchecks.
Thornton said he didn’t know how popular the place would get when he first applied for the music permit. Average attendance has been about 1,600 patrons, with shows as high as 2,500, he said.
The restriction of having music only on Thursdays has made booking acts difficult, and the venue has had to turn away charitable organizations wanting to have benefits there, Thornton said. Potential customers from regional cities have trouble making it to shows with enough time to enjoy them before they end, he said.
Thornton said he likely will come back to the commission next year after studying ways to take care of the sound situation. Commissioners suggested Thornton look into building a wall or placing vegetation outside that would mitigate the sound.
