By Khalida Sarwari
The last time the noise element in the city of Saratoga’s General Plan was updated, the Soviet Union still existed. The document, along with the city’s noise ordinance, is ripe for an update, and the city wants to involve residents in the process.
A pair of public meetings will be held this month to gather ideas from residents on sources of noise in the city. The first will be held Aug. 20 at Fireman’s Hall, 14434 Oak St., and the second will take place Aug. 27 in the community room at the Saratoga Library, 13650 Saratoga Ave. Both begin at 7 p.m.
Residents are invited to share their concerns about anything noise-related in their neighborhoods, said Christopher Riordan, Saratoga senior planner. That could mean anything from barking dogs and noisy cars to the sounds of loud parties and leaf blowers.
“We need to find out what the problems are before we address them,” Riordan said. “This is the starting point to making policies.”
The noise element, as stated in the current document, “identifies areas where noise exceeds acceptable levels, and evaluates existing and potential sources of noise so that noise may be effectively considered in the land use planning process.”
A number of changes affecting the city’s noise level have occurred since 1988–the last time the element was updated–such as increased development and traffic. But the primary change, said Riordan, was the construction of Highway 85, which has resulted in increased ambient noise in surrounding neighborhoods in the city.
Riordan noted that the city is also updating its noise ordinance, a separate document that outlines regulations addressing issues related to noise. In May, the city council approved a $41,710 contract with San Francisco-based Charles M. Salter Associates to carry out the project. The money will be pulled from the city’s general fund, said Riordan.
The firm has been asked to conduct a noise analysis, which entails using a listening device to determine background ambient noise in the community, and to create noise contour maps and hold outreach meetings, according to Riordan.
The element will go before the council in January, but until then there will be plenty of opportunities for residents to share their impressions, said Riordan.
The noise element is one of seven elements in the city’s General Plan, a document that every city is required by law to have and one that sets the goals and policies for that city, as well as guides the future of the city’s development. The last element that Saratoga updated was its safety plan earlier this year. The other five are land use, circulation, housing, conservation and open space.
The city’s noise element report is a searchable document at saratoga.ca.us.
The noise control ordinance can be viewed at library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=16616.
Public invited to make a little noise about city’s noise element
