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revenues from the fraternity dues. Therefore, the fraternity is no longer a "private <br />noncommercial club or lodge" as required by the zoning codes. <br />o The catering company and party venue violate the zoning codes <br />The fraternity is located in a RM -2500 zoned area. Zoning code 18.36.040 lists the <br />conditional uses for the RM 2500 districts which do not include catering companies or <br />party venues. Furthermore, there are additional zoning codes specifically for catering <br />companies, which restrict catering companies to commercial districts. <br />Additionally, since the catering company and party venue are managed and reported on <br />the PMC's tax return, and the PMC has lost its tax exempt and non- profit statuses, the <br />catering company and party venue are now for - profit companies, which are not allowed <br />in a RM -2500 district. <br />7. The noise codes are currently being incorrectly interpreted by the <br />City <br />The current City's interpretation of the noise codes does not include voices. (See Attachment #7.) This <br />was brought to light when the Millers filed a noise code enforcement with the City against the Masons. <br />The Millers' sound engineer believes that the City's current interpretation of the code is incorrect. He <br />states that any logical reading of the City's noise code would include human voices. He further states <br />that no other city in the Bay Area exempts human voices but rather that other cities in fact have stricter <br />codes regarding human voices. <br />Furthermore, Planner Donna Decker obviously did include voices in the codes as she states in a March <br />10, 2009 email to the Millers, "The [sound] measurement would be from a structure. What that would <br />mean in terms of sound from a band orpeople attending a function, it would be measured 25 feet from <br />the structure." <br />Because the noise codes do not currently include voices, it is imperative that the City not locate <br />businesses in residential neighborhoods. Businesses like the Masons' catering company and party venue <br />have a profit motive to hold parties with larger quantities of people and greater number of parties than <br />a normal neighbor. The noise from voices alone from large numbers ofpeople (the capacity of the <br />lodge is 600) can be deafening creating an extreme noise nuisance. and vet neighbors have no <br />protection under the codes since voices are not included. This is an excellent example of the problem <br />the City created by allowing the Masons to expand activities into the backyard, which resulted in an <br />extreme noise nuisance for neighbors. <br />8. Attachments <br />Attachment 1. The City's Errors & Omissions in the Jan. 28, 2015 Staff Report <br />Attachment 2. Violations of 1977 Regulations <br />Attachment 3. Violations of Current Codes <br />Attachment 4. Young Ivy Academy <br />Attachments 5 and 6. Flyers the Miller's provided at political meetings. <br />Attachment 7. Letter from the Millers' sound engineer, Derek Watry <br />Attachment 8. Letter from the Millers' attorney, Stu Flashman <br />2 <br />