Penngrove residents: Keep it down!

Loud noise from area music venues is causing a stir in Penngrove|

The summer concert season has brought a parade of performers to large venues in central Sonoma County. But a few miles south, in pastoral Penngrove, some residents say the jubilation is not music to their ears.

Several Penngrove residents are up in arms over claims that large venues like SOMO Village and the Green Music Center, along with smaller gatherings closer to town, have become a cacophony that has grown to be an ongoing, noisy nuisance.

Whether a permanent phenomenon, a seasonal upswing of celebrations or simply a matter of perception, the situation has nonetheless exploded into heated talk in the close-knit community, said Lyndi Brown, a resident active in several aspects of life in Penngrove and an administrator for the unincorporated town’s Nextdoor social media site.

“It’s sort of all over the map as to where people think it’s coming from,” Brown said.

Discussion began to escalate on the neighborhood-centric social media site in late July, Brown said, as Penngrove residents claimed the noise had hit a fevered pitch and began debating the source.

One Woodward Avenue resident, David Valente, said he has heard loud music most weekends during the summer, but that the source has been unclear.

“Most people think it’s from SOMO, others have shared there is a multi-family residents up near (Railroad) Avenue that is occasionally the source, other times has been attributed to private parties,” Valente said, in an email.

Other theories of origin for the alleged upswing in acoustics include regular mariachi-style music off Highland Avenue, loud music off Adobe Road and shows at the Twin Oaks Roadhouse, Brown said.

“Others said it was when Johnny Depp played the Green Center, that it was so loud they could hear the lyrics. And unfortunately, it wasn’t very good,” she said with a laugh.

Representatives of some of the area’s venues said they are cognizant of the impact their events can have on neighbors, and that they have taken steps to address potential issues.

At Rohnert Park’s Green Music Center, a refined venue that can open to become an outdoor stage, performances are over no later than 11 p.m., said Kathryn Stewart, associate director for communications. While she acknowledged that the June 22 performance of the rock band Hollywood Vampires, featuring Depp, “extended our sound capabilities,” the show was also over by 10 p.m.

“Generally, we try to keep to a respectable time,” she said, noting that many of the venue’s events are more intimate, indoors affairs. More events are outdoors during the summer, however.

At the far closer - and far smaller - Twin Oaks Roadhouse off Old Redwood Highway, General Manager Leigh Anne Baker said the bar has kept its long-time schedule the same despite reopening in March under new ownership. Live music is cut off at 11:30 p.m., she said, and outdoor music is “very minimal” at one day a week.

“I think the best thing to say is - it just hasn’t changed,” she said of the schedule.

Representatives of Rohnert Park’s SOMO Village, where the development’s outdoor concert venue is in its third season, could not be reached for comment. Yet Brown said SOMO representatives have been proactive in engaging with Penngrove residents on Nextdoor, where some posters have blamed the venue for heightened noise.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office logged two calls of noise complaints in the Penngrove area over the past month – one at Twin Oaks, where deputies determined that the band “was not unreasonably loud,” and another for a complaint over barking dogs, said Sgt. Spencer Crum. The department has not seen an uptick in complaints in the area, he said.

“The county doesn’t have a noise ordinance per se, but if the noise is unreasonably loud at an unreasonable hour and disturbs the peace, the Sheriff’s Office will respond and make an effort to mitigate the problem,” said Crum, in an email.

Complaints of commercial businesses playing loud, live music in the county jurisdiction can be made through the Sonoma County Permit and Resource Management Department website at www.sonoma-county.org/prmd, he said.

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports.)

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.