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I suspect that the elected officials that run
the City of Scottsdale could care less that
these bars and night clubs are keeping
Scottsdale residents awake at night.
After all according to the article the bars
and night clubs are bring in almost a half
a million bucks a year in sale taxes.
Scottsdale residents, bar owners clash over entertainment district, nightlife noise by Edward Gately - Jan. 6, 2012 10:23 PM The Republic | azcentral.com Jane Peterson still gets only two good nights of sleep each week because of the booming noise coming from downtown Scottsdale's entertainment district. Peterson lives north of Camelback Road across from the Mint ultra lounge, one of the many trendy nightclubs and bars that populate the area south of Camelback. She lived there 30 years without any problems, but that all changed when the Mint opened in June. Now, she says, noise coming from the popular night spot has changed things. "I live in a jail," she said. "It's made my house pretty much unlivable. I work two jobs, but I have to stay up until 2 a.m. because I don't have a choice." The city's entertainment district, as it's known, is located south of Camelback and north of Indian School Road, between Scottsdale and Miller roads, and has the highest concentration of bars in Maricopa County. It attracts thousands of patrons every weekend from throughout the Valley and is a big draw for out-of-state visitors looking for the region's nightlife epicenter. Last year, it became the focus of an organized effort by area residents and business owners who complained that the city wasn't doing enough to control the problems associated with downtown nightlife, including trash, illegal parking, noise and alcohol-fueled rowdiness. The winter-visitor season brings an annual influx of tourists who visit downtown Scottsdale. Many of those come to shop, dine or take in a spring-training game, while others may add to the bar crowds. Either way, with more people flocking to the area, the issue could draw renewed attention. "I feel sorry for the people who stay in the hotels," said Bill Crawford, president of the Association to Preserve Downtown Scottsdale's Quality of Life. The citizens and merchants' group formed last summer to pressure the city to address problems in the area. Mayor Jim Lane said the city is working hard and has made progress toward solving problems in the district, which has become one of the city's main attractions among seekers of the nightlife scene. "There are some folks who would probably just as soon see (the district) go away, which isn't something that's going to happen," he said. "We do need to find a balance, and we're going to find it. In the right context, it can be ... a very positive influence on Scottsdale and part of what we're here to provide our tourists and our residents." Since last summer, Lane and other city officials have been meeting with members of Crawford's group, as well as the bar owners' group, Scottsdale Downtown and Entertainment District Association, to address numerous issues in the district, such as noise, trash, parking, vandalism and other criminal activity. The City Council recently adopted a litter ordinance throughout the city and established a $150 fine for littering in and around the district. Once fees and surcharges are added, the fine totals more than $300. In 2010, the city adopted a noise ordinance designed to clamp down on noise emanating from bars outside the downtown boundaries, but critics say it doesn't do enough to protect people who live or work within the designated boundaries. D'Lisa Shayn Ledgewood, owner of Salon D'Shayn on Wells Fargo Avenue, said despite efforts to control problems, she still finds graffiti and other vandalism when she returns to work after the weekend. "I'm a business owner and I want everybody who has a business here to be able to succeed, but at what expense?" she said. "Why do I have to be spending all this money to fix stuff because of all these unruly patrons?" Bar owners, however, say the new littering ordinance and other measures should make a difference. G.R. Boone, co-owner of Smashboxx and Dollhouse, two popular district bars, said the new ordinance should make a lot of people think twice before improperly disposing their trash. "I know the surrounding neighborhoods had some serious issues with littering and they've blamed the bar scene and the bar district when it's not our fault and people need to take responsibility for their actions," he said. "Every bar in this district has a dumpster behind it. It's not hard to find it." Lane said fighting among district patrons hasn't been as prevalent as has been presented by some critics. He said criminal activity is being handled effectively by the Scottsdale Police Department. A video of a brawl involving a group of people in a parking garage in the area drew attention in October after going viral. The incident resulted in eight arrests. The video showed police in the area arriving to break up the scuffle soon after it began. "Our law enforcement has done a great job of attending to all of the issues, and it's well within their capacity to use our ordinances, as well as code enforcement, to make sure we're keeping things at a reasonable amount," he said. Direct revenue from the bars in the district totaled about $400,000 in the fiscal year that ended June 30, said City Treasurer David Smith. That includes $366,000 of general-fund unrestricted sales-tax receipts for food and liquor, $29,000 in license fees ($1,200 per license per year), and $3,000 in primary and secondary property taxes paid by the property owners. During the same period, expenses associated with the Police Department's deployment in the entertainment-district boundaries, including bicycle and mounted patrols, totaled $1.2 million, Smith said. This does not include other expenses associated with policing the area, he said. Les Corieri, president of the bar owners' group, said the bars are taking an active role in improving the atmosphere in the district. "We've come a long way," he said. "We are working with the neighbors and we want to be good neighbors, and we are good neighbors. We're going to continue to work together. That's all we can do." Crawford, who operates a personal-trainer business in the area, said the city is "a little bit beyond the 50-yard line" in addressing problems in the district. But problems, such as bars refusing to turn down the volume, persist, he said. "It's our downtown, it's our problem, we're the ones who have had to live with it and we want it fixed," he said. "We want a crackdown on law enforcement, noise, parking, traffic and lighting." Ledgewood wonders what visitors who aren't here for nightclubs will think of Scottsdale if they happen to venture into the entertainment district. "Scottsdale is still a tourist destination for people all over the world," she said. "It's considered one of those places you want to go, and I feel like it's going downhill. I feel like the city hasn't done enough." Policing Scottsdale's bar scene The city of Scottsdale has been working with citizens, merchants and bar owners to address the problems in the city's entertainment district. Steps include: The City Council established a new fine for littering in the district, which adds up to more than $300 with fees and surcharges. Also, bar owners are paying for trash pickup in and around the district three times a week, and city crews pick up trash every weekend and Monday mornings. The city's Sixth Avenue lot has been paved for parking. Also, the city is studying the cost and feasibility of building a parking garage in the district. Permit-only parking has been established in one area of the residential neighborhood just north of Camelback, and soon other streets will be added. Lights have been installed at the Sixth Avenue lot and on Buckboard along the W Scottsdale. City code enforcement monitors bar noise from six key locations every Friday and Saturday night and has not recorded any verifiable violations. The Scottsdale Police Department still receives frequent noise complaints, but bar owners are responsive to police requests to turn down the volume. The city has established a hotline to report graffiti: 480-312-2546. |