I’d like to offer a few thoughts about last week’s letter concerning commercial event venues in the Mud Bay Rural Residential Zone. The writer brings up some good points: Any resident can host a private wedding, etc., and, historically, there have been such events in the neighborhood–like the annual big party at the Hoffman house. And yes, as the writer points out, most neighbors joined that celebration, or at least were willing to plug their ears and sacrifice one quiet evening each May.
So, here’s where I get confused: If the occasional big private event can create an earplug moment for neighbors, wouldn’t that be all the more reason to keep those events to a minimum in a residential zone—and not make them into a regular commercial business enterprise based in one’s neighbor’s yard? (The borough has many other zones where such commercial events would be more appropriate.)
I’d have felt bad for the writer if that annual bash next door happened all the time and disrupted her sleep regularly. (And I don’t think it’s entirely uncommon or unreasonable for people in residential areas to complain of a nuisance if their neighbors are having big parties all the time.)
The Mud Bay zoning code offers residents many options for conducting a business enterprise at their home. The essence of this is captured in the Cottage Industry provision, which allows for most any small business that “does not affect other persons in a greater degree than normal residential activities.”
George Figdor