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06-10-08 Item 81 South Miami All- America CRY CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER INTER - OFFICE MEMORANDUM 2001 To: The Honorable Mayor Feliu and Members of the City Commission Via: Ajibola Balogun, City Manager From: Sanford A. Youkilis, Acting Planning Directo Date: June 3, 2008 ITEM No. Subiect AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA, AMENDING THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, TO REVISE AND ADD A SUBSECTION TO SECTION 20- 3.6(Q) ENTITLED "SCREENING OF EXTERIOR HEATING, VENTILATING, AND AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT" IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE NOISE ISSUE ' ASSOCIATED WITH AIR- CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR EQUIPMENT AND /OR OTHER MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT PRODUCING NOISE LEVELS EXCEEDING 65dB (decibels); PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE BACKGROUND The City Code currently provides for the prohibition of unnecessary or excessive noise coming from music, bells, whistles, horns, construction equipment, combustion engines, and motor boats, etc. This part of the Code (Sec. 15 -79 thru 15 -95) provides that the individual producing noise which "is an annoyance to the public" can be issued a violation. There are no specific standards listed. The violation is determined by a City enforcement agent. In recent years most noise complaints have been related to air conditioning units, generators and other outdoor mechanical equipment which can give off a serious high level of noise. Residents living in the vicinity of commercial buildings or multi - family housing are often disturbed by the excessive noise from older air conditioning systems and other mechanical equipment. These higher than normal noise levels is detrimental to the public health, safety, welfare and quality of life of the residents of the City. PROPOSED AMENDMENT In order to respond to the excessive noise from building generated equipment it is recommended that the police /enforcement power of the Land Development Code be used.. The Land Development Code already has a section which sets forth requirements and standards for screening of exterior heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment. It is being proposed that this section (Sec. 20 -3.6Q) be amended to include standards and procedures for limiting noise from these same elements as well as any other mechanical equipment. In order to assure that these standards are enforceable the amendment includes a chart indicating maximum acceptable sound levels measured in decibels (dBA). These maximum decibel levels are used in many municipalities and has proven to be of great assistance to code enforcement efforts. 2 The City of South Miami has used a sound meter (measures decibels) in order to test the standards being proposed in the ordinance. The testing was done at night and during the day. Attached are noise history profile tests recently done by personnel from the City's Enforcement Division. These tests verify the sound level maximums set forth in the City's proposed ordinance. PLANNING BOARD ACTION The Planning Board at its May 13, 2008 meeting conducted a public hearing and recommended additional requirements and clarifications. This additional language is shown in italics in attached draft ordinance. The Board adopted a motion by a vote of 5 ayes 0 nays recommending approval of the revised ordinance. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the proposed amendment to Section 20- 3.6(Q), as recommended by the Planning Board be approved on first reading. Backup Documentation: Draft Ordinance LDC Section 20- 3.6(Q) Noise Profile Test results Planning Board Minutes Excerpt 5 -13 -08 Public notices SAY X: (Comm items120M6- 3- WLDCAmend Sound Levels CMReport.doc I NOTE: New wording in bold /underlined; new wording added by 2 Planning Board shown in bold/ italics,; wording to be removed 3 indicated by strike - through. 4 ORDINANCE NO. 5 6 AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY 7 OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA, AMENDING THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI 8 LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, TO REVISE AND ADD A SUBSECTION TO 9 SECTION 20- 3.6(Q) ENTITLED "SCREENING OF EXTERIOR HEATING, 10 VENTILATING, AND AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT" IN ORDER TO 11 ADDRESS THE NOISE ISSUE ASSOCIATED WITH AIR - CONDITIONING 12 COMPRESSOR EQUIPMENT AND /OR OTHER MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT 13 PRODUCING NOISE LEVELS EXCEEDING 65dB (decibels); PROVIDING FOR 14 SEVERABILITY; ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT; AND PROVIDING AN 15 EFFECTIVE DATE 16 17 WHEREAS, the Land Development Code Section 20- 3.6(Q) sets forth requirements and 18 standards for screening of exterior heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment; and 19 20 WHEREAS, residents residing near buildings with older air conditioning systems and other 21 mechanical equipment have been impacted by higher than normal noise levels generated by these 22 systems; and 23 24 WHEREAS, higher than normal noise levels is detrimental to the public health, safety, 25 welfare and quality of life of the residents of the City; and 26 27 WHEREAS, the Planning Board at its May 13, 2008 meeting, after public hearing, adopted 28 a motion by a vote of 5 ayes 0 nays recommending that the proposed Land Development Code 29 amendment to address the noise levels from air - condition compressor equipment and/or other 30 mechanical equipment be approved; and 31 32 WHEREAS, the City Commission desires to accept the recommendations of the Planning 33 Board and enact the aforesaid amendment. 34 35 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE MAYOR AND THE CITY 36 COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA: 37 38 Section 1. That Section 20- 3.6(Q) of the Land Development Code is hereby amended to read as 39 follows: 40 "(Q) Screening and SoundprooFng of Exterior Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning 41 Equipment, and Other Mechanical Equipment 42 43 (1) Air - cooled condensing and/or compressor equipment, water cooling towers, and 44 any other similar mechanical or service equipment or apparatus installed on the 45 roof of any building erected after the date of the passage of this ordinance shall be 46 screened from view by a parapet wall or such other screening device as shall be 47 approved by the environmental review and preservation board. Such screening 48 shall be constructed so as to conceal the equipment visible in elevation. 49 50 (2) Air - cooled condensing (excluding window and wall units), and/or compressor 51 equipment, water cooling towers, liquid propane gas tanks, irrigation pumps, pool 52 equipment, and any other similar mechanical or service equipment or apparatus 53 installed after September 1, 1992, on the ground or on a building (other than-on its 54 roof) shall be screened from view, at ground level outside the subject property, by 2 1 the use of landscaping or such other screening device as shall be approved by the 2 environmental review and preservation board. 4 (3) It shall be unlawful to operate mechanical equipment including air - cooled 5 condensing (excluding window and wall units), and /or compressor 6 equipment, and any other noise producing equipment in an all residential, 7 institutional, commercial and industrial zoned property, when such 8 equipment emits noise which exceeds the following noise levels, measured at 9 the receiving property line nearest to the source; such sound levels shall be 10 measured by City of South Miami staff or other representatives designated by 11 the City Manager with a sound level meter manufactured according to 12 standards prescribed by the American National Standards Institute: 13 14 Maximum Permitted Sound Level in Decibels dBA 15 16 17 (4) The above sound levels shall= be applicable to existing, replacement or new 18 mechanical equipment including air - cooled condensing (excluding window and 19 wall units), and /or compressor equipment, mechanical equipment, and any 20 other noise producing equipment 21 22 (5) The city's existing commercial buildings shall meet the requirements of this 23 subsection and inmtediak* mitigate excessive noise levels upon the issuance of 24 a notice of violation by the City of South Miami Code Enforcement Office. 25 26 27 (6) Sound proofing shall be effective for the life of the equipment. If sound 28 proofing device /equipment is determined not to be adequate, the owner shall 29 be required to inuttediately mitigate or replace the equipment and /or sound 30 proofing material as necessary to reach acceptable_ sound levels. 31 0) At Property Line or At Property Line or Beyond Between 10:00 Beyond Between 7:00 Receiving Land Use PM -7:00 AM AM -10:PM Single-family 55 dBA 60 dBA Multifamily, Institutional, Parks and Noise - Sensitive Zones (Hospitals,Schools,Nursing Homes,Church,Court or Public Libra 60 dBA 65 dBA Retail Commercial (Offices, Reta i I, Restaurants and Movies ) 65 dBA 65 dBA Wholesale Commercial and Industrial 70 dBA 75 dBA 16 17 (4) The above sound levels shall= be applicable to existing, replacement or new 18 mechanical equipment including air - cooled condensing (excluding window and 19 wall units), and /or compressor equipment, mechanical equipment, and any 20 other noise producing equipment 21 22 (5) The city's existing commercial buildings shall meet the requirements of this 23 subsection and inmtediak* mitigate excessive noise levels upon the issuance of 24 a notice of violation by the City of South Miami Code Enforcement Office. 25 26 27 (6) Sound proofing shall be effective for the life of the equipment. If sound 28 proofing device /equipment is determined not to be adequate, the owner shall 29 be required to inuttediately mitigate or replace the equipment and /or sound 30 proofing material as necessary to reach acceptable_ sound levels. 31 0) 1 (7) Sound proofing for larger equipment serving commercial buildings shall 2 consist of at a minimum a barricade or complete ventilated enclosure lined on 3 the inside with a sound blocking (including landscaping) and sound absorbent 4 material, in order to reduce sound to an acceptable level. 6 (8) Installation of any fixed barricades or enclosures must be installed with 7 applicable permits. 8 9 (9) Measurement of sound levels at a specific location shall be the average of 10 three(3) readings each taken for a period of 30 seconds during the day or 11 night hours when subiect equipment is in continuous operation. 12 13 (10) These regulations shall not apply to generators or other equipment used 14 during a declared state of emergency or during intermittent power outages; this 15 exemption to maximum sound levels shall end when electric Power is restored. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 Section 2. All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with the provisions of this ordinance are hereby repealed. Section 3. If any section, clause, sentence, or phrase of this ordinance is for any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, this holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance. Section 4. This ordinance shall be effective immediately after the adoption hereof. PASSED AND ADOPTED this ATTEST: CITY CLERK I" Reading — 2nd Reading — READ AND APPROVED AS TO FORM CITY ATTORNEY day of , 2008. APPROVED: MAYOR COMMISSION VOTE: Mayor Feliu: Vice Mayor Beasley: Commissioner Wiscombe: Commissioner Palmer: Commissioner Beckman: NOTE: New wording underlined; new wording added by Planning Board shown in bold/ italics,; wording to be removed indicated by strike - through. X: \Comm Items\2008 \6- 3- 08\LDC Amend Ord Revised Section 20 -3 6Q Sound Levels (3).doc m N10 00 > 0 X000 0 •• N u � UX� . 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MIAMI PLANNING BOARD Regular Meeting Action Summary Minutes Tuesday, May 13, 2008 City Commission Chambers 7:30 PM EXCERPT I. Call to Order and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag Action: The meeting was called to order at 7:35 P.M. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited in unison. II. Administration: Mr. Comendeiro was duly sworn in as a member of the Planning Board. III. Roll Call: Chairman Morton requested a roll call. Board members present constituting a quorum: Mr. Morton, Ms. Young, Mr. Farfan, and Mr. Cruz and Mr. Comendeiro. Absent: Ms. Chael and Ms. Yates. City staff present: Sanford A. Youkilis (Acting Planning Director), Stephen David, (CRA Director), and Lluvia Resendiz (Administrative Assistant). IV. Planning Board Applications/Public Hearing (B) PB -08 -017 Applicant: City of South Miami. AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA, AMENDING THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, TO AMEND SECTION 20- 3.6(Q) ENTITLED "SCREENING OF EXTERIOR HEATING, VENTILATING, AND AIR CONDITIONING EQUIl'MENT" IN ORDER TO SET FORTH STANDARDS FOR CONTROLLING EXCESSIVE NOISE LEVELS ASSOCIATED WITH AIR - CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR EQUIPMENT AND OTHER MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Action: Mr. Farfan read the item into the record. Mr. Youkilis reported that several Commissioners have expressed concern regarding the noise levels in the City. The Commission directed the City Attorney and the City Manager to include additions to the current section of the code related to the screening and ventilating of air conditioning equipment. It is due to concerned residents near commercial buildings hearing the sound near their single family home. The City has made a commitment to initiate legislation to monitor the sound levels. If the legislation is passed the City will purchase a sound meter in order to accurately monitor the sound levels when a complaint is made. This will measure noise levels in decibels at the receiving property line of the person making the complaint. There will be different levels which will be measured during the day or night. The. City has already tested the Planning Board Meeting May 13, 2008 Page 2 of 3 sound level at different locations and the amendment illustrates that the decibel levels beyond what is illustrated would be considered a violation. The sound levels will increase depending on the zoning district. Additional comments on No. 4,5, and 6 are applicable to existing replacement or new mechanical equipment including air cool condensers but excluding window units, compressor or mechanical equipment, or any other noise producing equipment. The recommended standards have been used by other cities therefore staff recommended that the ordinance be adopted. Ms. Young questioned if the ordinance pertained to generators being used after a hurricane disaster. Mr. Youkilis advised that the ordinance does not exclude the generators. Mr. Cruz felt that emergency generators should be excluded from the ordinance. It was recommended to include the language "that emergency generators during a declared emergency are exempt." Mr. `Comendeiro questioned the length of time for the declaration of a state of emergency and the authority whom terminates the declaration. He expressed concerns that a person may continue running a generator long after the declaration of emergency is no longer in effect. In order to avoid that concern Mr. Youkilis suggested adding "These regulations do not apply to generators or other mechanical equipment used during a declared state of emergency." Mr. Cruz was concerned that if the ordinance is not tied to an emergency use there is a potential that a developer or a contractor may find a way to avoid the regulations within the ordinance. It was agreed that "The exemption to run a generator shall end when normal electric power is restored" be added. Mr. Cruz questioned No.5 in that there was no timeframe to allow a contractor of a commercial building the adequate timeframe to correct an issued violation. He expressed concerns that an individual working on the building will only have one day to correct the violation. Mr. Cruz was concerned that the fines will create a hardship when having to correct the situation. Under several circumstances it takes someone more than a month to obtain the permits, thus limiting the timeframe. Mr. Youkilis advised that a hearing officer has the authority to mitigate any issued violations. Mr. Morton agreed and addressed that the same issue applies to both No. 5 and 6 and recommended removing the word "immediately" from both No. 5 and No.6. Mr. Youkilis advised that a notice of violation has two stages first there is a warning and second there is the actual violation at which time a hearing office could mitigate the violation. Mr. Morton recommended making changes to include that the "sound levels shall be measured by City of South Miami staff." He also recommended the following language be added to the following sections: No. 6, include the language "as required to reach expectable levels;" Number 7 "including landscaping" and "as required to reduce the sound to acceptable levels;" No. 8, "installation of any fixed barricades or enclosures when the subject equipment is in continuous operation" and No. 9, "The installation of any fixed barricades or enclosures must be installed with applicable permits." The Board agreed making the suggested changes as well as adding a No. 10 to provide for exceptions under emergency situations. Motion: Mr. Comendeiro moved to approve the ordinance and Mr. Cruz seconded with the following recommendations: 1. No. 3 include "by the City of South Miami staff or other representatives designated by the City Manager" 2. No. 5 remove the word "immediately" 3. No. 6 remove the work "immediately" and include at the end of the sentence "as necessary to reach acceptable sound levels." 4. No. 7 add language "including landscaping" and at the end of the sentence include "in order to reduce sound to an acceptable level." 5. Add a No. 8 to read "Installation of any fixed barricades or enclosures must be installed Planning Board Meeting May 13, 2008 Page 3 of 3 with applicable permits." 6. No. 9 include the following wording at the end of the sentence "when subject equipment is in continuous operation." 7. Add a No. 10 to read "These regulations shall not apply to generator or other equipment used during a declared state of emergency or during intermittent power outages; this exemption to maximum sound levels shall end when electric power is restored." Vote: 5 Ayes 0 Nays XAComm Items\2008 \6- 3- 08\PB- Min- 05 -13 -08 Excerpt Sound.doc