Noise irks neighbors of Shadyside Nursery
The music that blasted into Sue Collins’ third-floor apartment in Shadyside this past summer was not soothing.
“Sometimes it was loud, and that was not what I wanted to hear on a Sunday evening,” she told the Shadyside Action Coalition at a meeting this week.
Coalition members asked Bill Brittain, who operates Weather Permitting, to explain the family-oriented play, food and music enterprise offered on Sunday evenings during the summer at Shadyside Nursery.
Brittain is seeking community support for two special exceptions from the Pittsburgh Zoning Board to continue his program at 510 Maryland Ave., between Ellsworth Avenue and Pierce Street. He needs zoning exceptions to conduct outdoor retail sales and to hold outdoor recreation and entertainment.
Coalition member Betsy Beam suggested holding a full hearing on the activity to seek comments from neighbors near the program site and others in the community. That likely will be scheduled in November.
Brittain said he would ask the zoning board to delay its hearing until December, so that the coalition can meet first.
“We tried to tone down the bands to reduce the sound, to the extent we avoided having drums played,” Brittain said. His idea was to have concerts and include children’s games.
The activity began in June and continued for 11 Sundays until Labor Day, he said.
Supporters at the meeting included a Swissvale resident who said his wife and two children enjoyed attending the evening events.
Brittain said a farmers market sometimes is held at the site on Sunday afternoons.
Shadyside Station Associates Inc. owns the property.
Sam Spatter is a Trib Total Media staff writer. Reach him at 412-320-7843 or sspatter@tribweb.com.