St. Charles to ban amplified music as part of outdoor dining program

Amplified music will be allowed in First Street plazas and if businesses have obtained a special event permit

While the outdoor dining program that St. Charles officials created last year as a way to help restaurants having to comply with the state’s COVID-19 mitigation plan will continue in 2021, new rules will be put in place regarding amplified music.

The new rules are being put in place in response to several noise complaints received by the St. Charles Police Department. At Tuesday’s St. Charles City Council meeting, aldermen decided that no amplified sound will be permitted in temporary outdoor dining areas on private property. Only acoustic live music is permitted unless a special event permit has been secured to include amplified sound/live entertainment.

Aldermen also approved rules for outdoor dining on public property. Like last year, portions of First Street and Walnut Avenue will be temporarily closed to vehicular traffic to accommodate outdoor dining.

As part of those new rules, with the exception of the First Street plazas, no amplified sound is permitted in temporary outdoor dining areas on public property. Only acoustic live music is permitted unless a special event permit has been secured to include amplified sound/live entertainment.

The owners of D&G Brewing, located at 303 N. 4th St., had asked the city if they could continue to play amplified music outdoors.

“We received no complaints about us prior to COVID, and we pride ourselves on being good people and good neighbors,” D&G Brewing owners Alex Drayer and Brittany Groot said in a letter they wrote to city officials. “As we have been made aware of complaints by officials, we have worked to decrease or alleviate them.”

D&G Brewing owners Alex Drayer and Brittany Groot had met with St. Charles Mayor Ray Rogina and St. Charles Police Chief James Keegan to discuss the matter. In addressing aldermen at Tuesday’s meeting, Drayer said he hoped the city could host community discussions about the issue.

“We maybe could come up with a solution that would allow us to not only have amplified music in the settings where we have a single guitarist but also setting hours where it is reasonable to have it, like maybe before 8 p.m., because it has meant so much to our business and our business model,” Drayer said. “This year it has accounted for about 50 percent of the business that we’ve done. It really has been a game changer.”

Rogina believes that not allowing outdoor amplified music except in the case of permitted events strikes a good balance between the needs of businesses and residents.

“As an outside observer, I think you’ve struck the chord here at this time,” Rogina said. “I’m proud of you for this and I’m proud of you for all we’ve accomplished during COVID and what we’ve tried to do for businesses.”