T he Rockbr idge County Board of Supervisors heard around half an hour of passionate testimony Sept. 24 as residents and community leaders debated whether the county’s noise ordinance should be tightened to address late-night disturbances, particularly from Washington and Lee University student housing.
At issue is whether to move the county’s weekday cutoff for loud noise from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. The weekend cutoff, which begins at midnight, would remain unchanged. The ordinance is enforced under
, page B14 a “plainly audible” standard and violations are treated as criminal offenses.
Several residents from neighborhoods near W&L housing described chronic disruptions that they say have eroded their quality of life.
Houston Johnson, who serves as a liaison to the university’s Campus Community Coalition, said the student housing on Windfall Hill hosted more than 60 parties last academic year. “More than two dozen were on weeknights,” Johnson told the Board. “Most of the time, students begin their parties at 9 or 9:30 in the evening, and they routinely go to 2 or 3 in the morning. In zero of those instances did the noise turn down well enough that I couldn’t hear it inside my house with all the windows and doors closed.”
David Dugan, a Maury Cliffs resident of 36 years, said the growth of student rental housing over the years has compounded the issue. “That is allowing for an accumulation of noise from six pole houses rather than just one,” he said.
Others shared wider, more personal frustrations with the frequent parties. Jon Hartsock, a retired Army veteran, said, “One of the first things I had to do moving here was explain to my 5-year-old why the young woman on the road wasn’t dead — she had just passed out. Parents shouldn’t have to do that.”
Deborah Woodcock, who lives in the Buffalo District, called for earlier limits. “Everybody deserves peace and quiet. You don’t appreciate this until you don’t have it, believe me.”
While residents urged a stricter ordinance, a representative of Lime Kiln Theater spoke up about unintended consequences for businesses. Chuck Smith, who serves both on Lexington City Council and the Lime Kiln board, said most concerts wrap up before 10 p.m. but feared a new cutoff could interfere with programming.
“Reducing the allowed time from 11 on weekdays could force us to cut short or even cancel some weekday events,” Smith said. “Lime Kiln operates on pretty thin margins, and every booking is critical to our sustainability. We would prefer not to have to request performers to end precisely at whatever time is established.”
Smith suggested that if the Board adopts an earlier cutoff, it should maintain a special permitting process to allow exceptions for cultural events.
Supervisors acknowledged the complicated nature of the issue, but ultimately emphasized the need to protect residents’ quality of life.
“I think people ought to be able to have some peace and quiet in their houses, especially during the week, especially those with young children or just old folks like me,” Supervisor Daniel Lyons, representing the Kerrs Creek District, said. “I think we need to shorten the hours.”
County Attorney John Dryden outlined the difficulties deputies face in enforcement. “If we go back to the same house a second time or a third time, then we need to look at issuing summonses,” he said. “The challenge is, who are you going to issue the summons to, because the houses have several people that live there.” He added that according to deputies, even if the cutoff is moved earlier, students are likely to push the limits. “Generally when we show up, they’re good at turning the music off. Sometimes they’re a little slow to wind down, and there are always a few that try to continue on.”
Rather than vote at last week’s meeting, supervisors asked Dryden to draft language that could include carve-outs for nonprofits and clarify enforcement procedures. The issue will return at the Board’s next meeting.
For residents like Johnson, who said there have already been 11 parties in the first three weeks of the semester, that decision can’t come soon enough.
“This is not now and again,” he said. “This is at least every other week there’s a weekday party, and on average, more than one party per weekend day. It’s a significant quality of life issue.”
