North Adams Planners Approve Common Folk's New Home
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Planning Board on Monday night approved an application by Common Folk to allow the arts collective to move into 18 Holden St.
The OK did come with the caveat that the collective be aware of noise issues in the mixed-use building. The collective is part gallery, part installation, part gathering place, part live performance - from music to spoken word.
The question was whether the music performances were commercial entertainment or art, and which city board had authority over them.
"It it's truly an entertainment venue, yes [it falls under the License Commission] but we're in a gray area as to art," said Building Inspector William Meranti. "If it's a band, I would think an entertainment license [would be required].
Chairman Michael Leary did not want to preempt the License Commission by setting times.
"Even if the license board doesn't think it's their purview, they should have the right to determine that," he said.
Planners noted there had been noise complaints over the years when restaurants at the corners of Holden had hosted live music. The block contains commercial operations on the first floor and residential on the top floors.
"We've been down this road many times before and the residents in that building have complained," Leary said.
Jessica Sweeney and Joseph Aidonidis, representing Common Folk, said they have worked with a range of venues without issue, including their time on Main Street this summer as part of DownStreet Art.
"We got amazing feedback all summer," said Sweeney, adding the only complaint had been from a business at 85 Main when a performance had started early. "We are more than willing to work with the city and the residents to make sure everyone's happy."
Aidonidis said the group would look for larger venues as needed "if it's not appropriate, not to code or too loud ... we're quite flexible."
Both pointed to the participation by younger people, particularly, during their summer run and said the space would be operated by volunteers.
Planner Brian Miksic said there had to be some balance between resident expectations and noise-producing evening activities since it was an urban area and not a country setting.
"To me, if you're living downtown that's part of the mix," he said. "There's a balance ... coming from Brooklyn, that's the way it works."
Still, he said, the noise had to be within reason: "That's the hard part of putting it on my paper — volume within reason."
The planners referred the issue to the License Commission but voted Miksic's motion to set a time cap for music performances — 10 p.m. during the week and 11 on weekends — pending the commission's review.
In other business, the board:
• Approved a request to withdraw an application by City Cab made in the name of the late Michael McMillian to allow his widow to resubmit in her own name.
• Discussed with Mark Piechowski of Berkshire Transmissions Inc. violations regarding the number of vehicles at his Roberts Drive location. Piechowski is allowed 24 vehicles in the yard and six inside.
Thirty had seemed reasonable at the time the business opened a decade ago, he said, but admitted that now he can be in and out of compliance.
"If you can't show you can stay in compliance for six months, you're not giving this board anything," responded Leary, who suggested part of Piechowski's difficulties could be overcome by not allowing others to store their vehicles on the lot. Leary also said he didn't want to get in a pattern in which Piechowski asked to store more vehicles but continued to exceed the number.
The board voted to review his compliance in three months.
Tags: common folk, musical performance, Planning Board,
