Stop the music. That?s the order from a Baltimore County judge who sided with neighbors annoyed by a Sparrows Point bar?s loud outdoor music.
Judge Thomas Bollinger last week upheld the decision of the county liquor board banning the operators of the Dock of the Bay restaurant from providing live ? or even piped ? music outside.
Neighbors hailed the ruling as the return of tranquility to the waterfront community.
“I couldn?t sit with my house open on a Sunday afternoon,” said neighbor Kay Sessa. “I?d have to shut my house up and blast my television to drown it out.”
The decision could end a bitter feud between neighbors like Sessa and Dock of the Bay owner Larry Thanner. The county has fined Thanner $7,000 for violating noise ordinances and illegally operating as a nightclub since last year.
In August, the county?s liquor board again told Thanner to stop live outdoor music. But Thanner persisted, arguing the county defines a nightclub as any establishment with live or recorded music. By that definition, Thanner said, any restaurant with a flutist, karaoke, jukebox or even live shows on a television could be illegally operating as a nightclub.
“The law is written so goofy,” Thanner said. “It doesn?t distinguish between the two. And if I can?t have it inside, then I shouldn?t be able to have it outside and neither should the 700 other restaurants in Baltimore County.”
Thanner said he plans to appeal Bollinger?s ruling.
And Councilman John Olszewski, a Democrat who represents Sparrows Point, has drafted legislation that would allow restaurants to have live music as long as they get a special permit, which would not require a public announcement or hearing.
Olszewski said he does know not when, or if, he will introduce the bill, but said he agrees county music regulations need clarification.
“We?ve got to come up with something that won?t depredate the quality of life in the communities but also make sure the businesses are allowed to make a profit, particularly in these tough economic times,” Olszewski said.
