New Merchants/Business Association for Seminole Heights
I received the following:
"Well, a meeting is set at the Coffee Bean Cafe (Florida and Osborne) for next Thursday night, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. to discuss what we want to do to create a new merchants/business association for Seminole Heights. This is a start of a new coalition/organization for all those interested in the commerce in our neighborhood.
This meeting will evaluate what is needed and how to go about fulfilling those needs to create a more sucessful business district for Seminole Heights. These would be needs for an organization of bricks and mortar and home-based businesses in S.H. as well as artists working in/from the neighborhood. "
Contact Sherry King at Yesterdaze for more information.
9 comments:
A new business has opened across on Florida and Idlewild - across the street from the Front Porch. The business is some type of used-car storage facility for ABC Used Cars which is located one block north on Florida.
It is unfortunate that another used-car related entity has opened in the area. It is also an eye sore and big pain in the a** for those who live on Idlewild or nearby streets.
Tow trucks now turn onto Idlwild and sit idle on the street as cars are loaded and unloaded. This ruins the ambience and environment created at the front porch, makes dangerous driving conditions when heading down Idlewild towards Florida and is obstructive to traffic.
I don't think zoning laws prohibit the business, but how about the tow trucks? Have the Front Porch people addressed this issue at all?
I recently moved to the neighborhood into the very area of which you speak. Heaven knows we didn't need another car lot of any sort. On the topic of small businesses in the area I would like to wonder aloud about an existing business that isn't being very neighbourly. It seems that Viva La Frida has a DJ on Sunday afternoons that likes to push loud bass mixes that can be heard indoors almost two blocks away. I was wondering if I am the only one whose family has their backyard and living room being taken over by the loud "thump thump thump" until 10PM.
Viva La Frida's is one of the most neighborly businesses we have - with the owner living just a couple of blocks away and the place constantly supporting community events. Part of living in Seminole Heights is being in an arts community. I think music relatively early on a weekend is something that we should tolerate and hope that VLF's is able to continue to thrive and grow.
10PM on a Sunday night is not relatively early for those of us who have to work on Monday morning. Additionally, since when is one group imposing their music or anything else within the privacy of another's home two blocks away constitute something we should tolerate. An occasional performance of a few hours is one thing and I would be the first to stand up for their right to do that, but 9 straight hours of it is a bit much to ask of even the biblical Job.
One thing to note: Barbed wire violates city of Tampa code. The ABC car lot, which used to be a cute bungalo, btw, is surrounded by the stuff. You can always call it in to code enforcement, or contact Susan Long with OSHNA and have her do it for you (and thus anonymously).
As for loud music. Viva la Frida's is a great place. But I agree, if they are playing loud music past 10pm on the nights before work/school, someone should either say something or call the cops. Some amount of give and take is needed if we want to keep the very few resident-friendly businesses we have prospering, but if that means giving up some basic peace and quiet during sleep hours, that's too far.
The problem stems from the fact that they were playing House type music in an outdoor venue. The wavelengths of the bass frequencies that permeate that genre of music means it travels great distances and actually is louder a good deal away than it is right near the source. House music works well in an enclosed setting because much of the energy is reflected around the room while only a small portion penetrates it, but when you go outdoors, you really have to jack up the power so that those for whom the performace is intended can feel the rhythm while those some distance away have their chandeliers shaking. They should just improve their sound engineering for that type of performance.
I'm curious anonymous....have you approached VLF about the noise problem? I would certainly speak to the owners first before calling the police.
1) Isn't the noise curfew at 10pm? Before that, I think it would be hard to complain.
2) Angelica, the owner of VLF, lives in the area and is approachable. Please try speaking with her before even thinking about calling anyone "official".
3)VLF usually has jazz, rock, or spoken performances - maybe in the future those will not be as disturbing.
Unless I am mistaken, the City adopted the county's ordinance which states residential noise limits as follows:
7am-10pm 60dB
10pm-7am 55dB
even given that the scale is logarithmic that still isnt a huge difference from day to night and 60dB is equated with normal conversation.
The booming from VLF is quite audible inside my home and during the afternoon requires me to raise the volume of my TV or radio to compensate. I would imagine that at the closest point of my property to VLF it would exceed the 60dB, and remember also I am nearly two blocks away. Would there even be any dissention if this were another sort of establishment, say a night club or strip joint, or a garage that installs loud bass stereo equipment? Just because VLF is a culturally acceptable place doesn't give it any more right to impose its noise on the neighborhood. If I were the offending establishment, I would be the first one to step up and apologize and take steps to ameliorate the situation. Looking at the October calendar, there appears to be many more sleepless nights and loud afternoons in my future. I have attempted to email and contact VLF to no avail. I for one am not the confrontational sort, so I don't envision I will be walking into the lions den, before calling the authorities.
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