DES MOINES, Iowa — A well-known music venue in Des Moines' East Village is fighting for its ability to serve alcohol after two violations of the city's noise ordinance.
The issue centers on noise complaints against Wooly's from Charles (Chuck) Larson, who owns the neighboring property located at 510 East Locust St.
Des Moines police confirmed the noise complaints with Local 5, stating they were validated by sound meter readings. Wooly's conditional use permit states noise levels shall not exceed 65 decibels.
However, on Jan. 25, a sound meter picked up a reading of 82.7. More recently, officials recorded a sound meter reading of 83.4 on July 16.
Now, the conflict has come to a head. The Zoning Board of Adjustment will consider revoking Wooly's conditional use permit, which the city requires in order to sell liquor, wine and beer, at a meeting on Sept. 25.
Larson purchased 510 E Locust in 2012, per the Polk County Assessor's Office. His company, LS2 Group, operates out of the space.
But Kaitlin Blunck, the landlord of Wooly's, told Local 5 that concerns over the noise level did not arise until 2022. That's when Kuvare, an insurance company based in Illinois, moved in.
"Chuck told me that their lease was ending in a couple months," Blunck said. "It sounds like they had a growth plan and they were not interested in signing any further leases because of the noise."
Speaking on Larson's behalf, attorney Mike Richards says the disturbances "stem from early afternoon sound checks by bands performing at Wooly’s." Richards added that despite Larson "investing more than $20,000 in advanced acoustics and soundproofing measures in their building, the problem persists."
Blunck says they've never received an official citation from the city, but Wooly's ownership is aware of the noise ordinance violations.
One suggestion proposed by Larson asked if sound checks could be rescheduled to later in the afternoon, after 5 p.m. But according to Blunck, that change wouldn't work for many of the touring acts that perform at Wooly's.
"They have labor laws. Their truck drivers have to be at the hotel by a certain time," she said. "These timelines, when they have bands scheduled, these are all planned out months in advance... especially with these national acts."
The co-owners of Wooly's are now pushing those who support the venue to make their voices heard at the upcoming meeting. They say liquor sales make up a big portion of their revenue, and the business can't survive without it.
"I don't think that they would be able or willing to, you know, go in the red to operate this business at that point," Blunck said. "Losing Wooly's would hurt the entire East Village neighborhood."