City Hall Hustle: A Little Night Music

The signs are everywhere that South by Southwest is right around the corner. Party lists are popping up on Facebook. Random RSVP requests are appearing in the Hustle's inbox. The Chronicle proofreaders break out in hives at the slightest mention of the Festival. And of course, the City Council is once again mucking about with sound permits for music venues.

Remember how well the last round of tweaks went? March 2009 revisions to the city code – specifically those highlighting a long-on-the-books, albeit scarcely enforced 75-decibel limit for live-music-hosting restaurants – was only the prime topic of the Austin body politic for oh, say, a quarter of the year, in the process making Barton Springs noise complainant Scott Trainer temporarily infamous and the sleepy music series at Shady Grove the most important music-culture touchstone since Stevie Ray passed (an honor recently ceded to the Cactus Cafe).

Fortunately, it looks like council's decided against an encore. This week's agenda Item 17, from Randi Shade, Mike Martinez, and Laura Mor­ri­son, does the city a solid – creating a new, 96-hour sound amplification permit for venues looking to host some tunes. Accord­ing to a draft version of the item, current city codes "do not include adequate provisions for outdoor music events of limited duration, which play a vital role in the spring festival season, but also pose unique challenges for permitting and planning." And with "festival season" speedily upon us, the new rules are set to take effect on passage. Morrison says the new category is required, as would-be venues are currently forced to choose between one-day or one-year permits. "It became clear that we really needed something in-between there," she says, "something in place that could accommodate folks during South by South­west." (We might note that the permits will primarily cover the private, RSVP shows in nontraditional venues, not official SXSW events.) She adds that "because it's such quick action" – passed on an emergency basis, actually – it sunsets at the end of June, letting policymakers revisit the issue then.

That's not to say the new ordinance is a cure-all for music issues – specifically neighborhood concerns. A mandated 14-day window between permit application and issuance all but ensures that some tardy promoters will miss the boat. The delay is likely there so the city can notify surrounding neighbors and businesses, which itself could conceivably kink up an application or two. And as largely unofficial SXSW parties inch farther east in search of cheap rentals and cheaper street cred, the issue takes on added relevance with East­sid­ers fighting music permits as a proxy fight against gentrification.

While unrelated to the temporary permit issue, another item this week (Item 35) testifies to this tension, as Eastside activist and River Bluff Neighborhood Association member Daniel Llanes attempts to appeal a sound permit for solar-powered music outfitter Sustainable Waves on grounds including "the number of unregulated venues in the area," and Llanes and like-minded others have been addressing council regularly on the issue of Eastside venues. (Item 34 is another appeal, against Little Woodrow's on the Drag, as the North University Neighborhood Planning Team has apparently decided live music doesn't suit the hood's needs.)

The Hustle understands Eastside concerns. Gentrification alone is bad enough; hundreds of bicoastal hipsters descending on your neighborhood for one debauched, Pabst-fueled weekend sounds even worse. But after all of last spring's hand-wringing, absolutists of any stripe – raucous makeshift venues or the neighbors they infuriate – should both try a little harmony.

Zooming to Recycle

Sound permits are but the opening act, as the question of economic incentives for L.A.-based LegalZoom to move here takes the headlining spot. Staff presentation on the potential deal is set for 10:30am, and public comment is permitted. (Two other briefings are also scheduled, on the city's partnership with the Lower Colorado River Authority and on developing the East Riverside Corridor Master Plan, respectively.) Final action on the LegalZoom contract is scheduled for a special-called council meeting Thursday, Feb. 18, 5:30pm.

Also drawing the crowds should be Item 15, extending the city's recycling contract with Greenstar North America – which trucks our recyclables to San Antonio – until September 2011. As if the months-long recycling saga wasn't convoluted enough, Greenstar, a potential bidder in building a local materials recovery facility, has been accused of violating a ban of lobbying for the MRF contract. Moreover, the deadline for MRF bids just recently passed, adding yet another wrinkle to the recyclables. And late Tuesday, Texas Disposal Systems – also under a lobbying cloud – offered to handle the city's recyclables for three years – at no charge. Expect lots of discussion and competing timelines on the dais. Lastly, Item 19 from Chris Riley seeks to green local development, as it asks the city manager to provide recommendations on ways to cut greenhouse-gas emissions during demolition and construction.

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