Noise complaints cramping nightlife | Morning Newsletter
And a green plan for Kingsessing.
The Morning Newsletter
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Another sunny Sunday is in store, with a high near 83.
Philly is home to niche outdoor party cultures, intimate music venues, and stylish speakeasies. And with nightlife comes noise, sometimes a lot of it.
Today’s lead story explores how growing noise complaints have forced DJs and party promoters to relocate or cancel events, diminishing much of the allure of the city’s nightlife scene and increasing tensions between residents and entertainers.
— Paola Pérez (@pdesiperez, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Philly DJ David Pianka, better known as Dave P, believes the city’s unique entertainment spaces make its nightlife more vibrant than most.
In Pianka’s own words: “Nightlife brings so much to cities, culturally and economically, and it needs to be prioritized more here in Philadelphia.”
But in recent years, noise complaints have affected the scene’s appeal. Outdoor experiences have been particularly impacted ― public outcry has even forced outdoor restaurant and music venues to shut down.
These complaints happen most often in neighborhoods with nightclubs and music venues, and newly constructed residential buildings.
And as more people and businesses move in, there is a growing divide between partygoers and residents looking for a quiet place.
A balancing act: The Philadelphia Department of Public Health considers excessive noise to be a health risk. But while there are some “nuisance bars,” residents often blame establishments for minimal noise, or even rumblings generated outside their walls.
These disputes are not new: Back in 2012, the New Tavern Bar Restaurant, then known as Watusi Pub II, drew complaints from West Philadelphians about the bar’s rowdy patrons and live music performances.
Keep reading on potential revenue impacts and how the city’s growing infrastructure plays a role in this issue.
What you should know today
Friday night’s football game between Montgomery County neighboring rivals Abington and Cheltenham High Schools was suspended during the third quarter when a parent noticed a student with a gun in the stadium, police said.
CVS Health is laying off 157 employees who work in a subsidiary Aetna office in Montgomery County, the company told Pennsylvania regulators this month. More than 200 employees in multiple New Jersey locations will also lose their jobs.
A daughter of a Delaware County police officer was killed in a Southwest Philly hit-and-run.
Pennsylvania is facing a worsening crisis of severe health problems after childbirth, according to a new state report that found a 40% rise in the rate of poor outcomes between 2016 and 2022.
Officials from the Bucks County SPCA removed 33 cats and three large dogs from a cramped, filthy hotel room in Bensalem Township last week.
The futures of three beloved South Philly restaurants are at stake after two vans that are critical to their operations were stolen.
Celebrations honoring National Coming Out Day will return to Philadelphia for the first time since 2019 in October, and this time around they’re coming with a parade.
While Philadelphia readies for a new school year, teachers are still trying to figure out how to get enough supplies for their classrooms. Here’s how you can help teachers stock up.
Plans for new green stormwater infrastructure in Kingsessing are underway as part of the Resilient Communities Stormwater Initiative (RCSI), a project funded by the William Penn Foundation.
Over the course of several workshops and discussions with a collection of environmental organizations, residents have been able to engage in the review and approval of a “Green Vision Plan” for their neighborhood.
What they are building: New infrastructure, which can include rain gardens, trees, permeable pavement, or any other structure that helps reduce flooding and pollution caused by stormwater. While stormwater is the focus, this effort can also add other greening benefits, like reducing local temperatures and improving air quality.
What RCSI leaders are saying: “These neighborhoods are used to people coming in and talking about things they want to do and then going home after they are satisfied or leaving people adrift or not delivering at all,” said Maurice Sampson, the Eastern Pennsylvania director of Clean Water Action. “[They’re] used to that. So this process has been one where we’ve had to build a trust.”
What residents are saying: “We need to have things that are for us, by us, because that’s the best way to impact us. It’s not that we don’t have the intellect, it’s that we don’t have the resources,” said Lotus Barron, 25.
Keep reading about this initiative and what’s in store for its next phase of development.
❓Pop quiz❓
The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire has kicked off its season of swashbuckling adventures and throwback fun.
About how many visitors are expected?
A) 10,000
B) 150,000
C) 500,000
D) 1 million
Think you know? Check your answer here.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram 🧩
Hint: Historic 🛣️
ANYHOW CHILLING
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Sara Reagan who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Naked Bike Ride.
Photo of the day
🎶 For today’s Sunday track, we’re listening to: “And when I’m back in Chicago, I feel it / Another version of me, I was in it / I wave goodbye to the end of beginning.”
I’ve been replaying that song for a few days now. It’s by Djo, an act I only recently discovered. Then I did some research and was equal parts shocked and impressed when I learned that Djo is led by Joe Keery, a.k.a. Steve Harrington from “Stranger Things.”
👋🏽 Thanks for waking up with The Inquirer. Taylor will bring you the Monday morning news bright and early.