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Mr. Rosen added that the system was put in place after they had several years of issues, in response to ongoing problems in that particular location which had some large growth Downtown. Acting Chair Blank asked Mr. Rosen how he would juxtaposition a constant noise of 70 dBA or 80 dBA and peak noise that happens once, and if there is some industry standard for parsing that out over the course of a period of time. Mr. Rosen replied that there is a number of ways sound can be measured: acoustics has is a number of metrics and those sounds can be averaged for five or ten minutes or more; and there is a metric called the equivalent sound level, which is basically an average, that comes up with a standard repeatable metric to use. Commissioner Pearce inquired if communities generally come up with a standard when putting together noise guidelines. Mr. Rosen replied that he has seen it both ways. He stated that Pleasanton's standard has a noise level but not a specific metric; one would have to use a little judgment when looking at the meter and saying whether it repetitive peak or maximum continuous. He added that it gives some guidance and requires a little interpretation as it is not definitive like an equivalent sound level for a five - minute average. Acting Chair Blank inquired if that is defined in this document, if there is a prevalence among cities, and what is the most common practice. Mr. Rosen replied that he sees an even spread: a very defined metric like LEQ, L -Max, L30, statistically descriptor, and just a sort of qualitative maximum or continuous repetitive sound level. He indicated that because of litigation, it is tending to go more toward having a number to do repeatable measurements. Commissioner Olson asked Mr. Rosen if he is familiar with how Barone's is monitoring its sound levels. Mr. Rosen said no Ms. Ott stated that this may be more of a Planning question; however, she is aware that Barone's is self- monitoring, and while it has to monitor the sound levels, it is not required to record them. Acting Chair Blank noted that this, again, is one of those vague things. He further noted that, for example, without a metric, if, while looking at five minutes and the average noise level for that five minute, somebody drops a bunch of dishes, someone holding a sound meter will catch that sound, and it could be a violation. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, November 14, 2012 Page 12 of 31