Name a city that doesn't boast a vibrant and varied night life, and we'll show you a place that is probably very dull indeed. When work is done and people flock to their favorite restaurants and bars to meet and greet, they want a range of entertainment to grease the social whirl.
That's why the Baltimore City Council took an important step Monday when it overturned a decades-old restriction on live music and other entertainment in bars and restaurants in some of the city's trendiest neighborhoods. Opening up new venues for showing off this city's abundance of talent will burnish Baltimore's image as a cultural and entertainment destination, provide employment to musicians and other performers and give a much-needed boost to small business owners struggling to weather the recession.
Baltimore has been stuck with antiquated and unwieldy entertainment zoning laws since at least the 1980s. In the decades since, overly restrictive zoning rules enacted in response to residents' concerns about noise, crime and traffic congestion have all but stifled the city's after-hours vibrancy and blocked what should have been one of its most important avenues of economic growth. It was past time the council brought the regulations up to date to reflect the new millennium's possibilities for a great night out on the town. Mayor Sheila Dixon should sign the legislation into law.
The new legislation contains important safeguards that should hearten residents in places like Federal Hill, Hampden and Southeast Baltimore who are worried about noise and crowds.
Companion measures also passed on Monday allow officials to revoke the licenses of live entertainment venues where patrons engage in loud or unruly behavior, and the city health department also will have the power to shutter restaurants where such behavior is tolerated. Those provisions, coupled with a city liquor board that recently has shown itself willing to take a more activist approach toward troublesome bars and clubs, should help reassure neighborhood residents that they have some recourse if an establishment becomes a nuisance.
We'll bet that the issue never even comes up for the majority of venues that are expected to take advantage of the new zoning laws. The small business owners who operate restaurants and bars will hardly want to jeopardize the added income and expanded clientele brought through their doors by live entertainment, and they surely will do whatever is needed to be regarded as good neighbors. Let them set a strict limit on decibels and zero tolerance for rowdies; their customers as well as their neighbors will thank them for it.
Readers respond
I agree with your assessment of the Liquor Board as being more activist recently, and our community supports this board. My only concern is: What happens if the Liquor Board is replaced with members who turn a deaf ear to the community, like so many liquor boards did in the past? If that happens, the residents of Baltimore will suffer badly under this law. The Sun is happy for the businesses involved, and that's great. I just hope you realize the potential negative consequences for the residents of Baltimore.
Outkast
