Avalon has changed its tune.
Over objections from nearby residents, the affluent Cape May County shore town voted to soften liquor license restrictions for the popular new bar Gully’s, allowing one more hour of outdoor music, until 9 p.m.
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The vote followed an outcry from the town’s locals, old-timers, and music lovers after the band Three and One was told to stop playing at 8 p.m. July 17, two hours earlier than advertised, after complaints from neighbors and a visit from Avalon police.
The 8 p.m. cutoff for outdoor music was a special condition included in the liquor licenses of Gully’s and other bars in town.
But at its August council meeting last Wednesday, the council adopted new restrictions on Gully’s that gives the bar one more hour for outdoor live music.
Gully’s had been appealing those conditions to the state’s Division of Alcohol Beverage Control before the resolution’s adoption.
Councilman Jamie McDermott downplayed the consequences of extending the music one more hour, and said the noise was “part of living within the two blocks of the commercial business district.”
“It’s a summer disruption,” he said. “We’re talking about eight Saturday nights that are going to go until nine o’clock.
“For me, for a summer town, that’s not Sea Isle, that’s the seashore at its best,” he said.
According to the resolution, Gully’s has retained a sound engineer to help with noise volume from its bands.
“Each band will be given the sound engineer’s phone number so that the engineer can approve the band’s system before it is set up,” the resolution states.
In addition, “bands will be warned that they will be cut off and not paid if they do not keep the volume reasonable.”
The council noted that Gully’s space is mostly outdoors, unlike other bars in town with bigger indoor footprints for music, and that the borough itself has outdoor music until 9 p.m. at its public concerts.
The extension to 9 p.m. was characterized as a temporary solution for the rest of the summer. The issue will be revisited before next summer.
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Gully’s has agreed to withdraw its appeal, for now, Nicole Curio, the municipal solicitor, told the council.
The resolution requires Gully’s bands to have smaller sound systems, no 18-inch or larger bass speakers, and to monitor their volume. The restaurant announced the change on its Facebook page.
The resolution also states that concerned neighbors will be given a number to text if they have issues with the volume.
Gully’s has also agreed to reposition the stage so that bands are facing the building rather than the neighborhood, the resolution states.
City Council President Greg “Chet” Johnson said at the meeting that the town needed to ensure that all the new people investing in summer homes had places to go once they arrived in Avalon.
“The town has changed,” Johnson said, addressing residents who had objected to the new regulation. “It’s a more affluent community that’s coming here. You’ve had great appreciation in your property. This is going to continue to grow and boom. People that come down now, they’re not bringing their groceries. They want to go to restaurants. They want entertainment.”
The popularity of Gully’s, in a space where a previous business had not flourished, showed that it was something the town as a whole supported, he said.
Larry Hayes, a neighbor who lives about 500 yards away and has complained about the noise, said he was opposed to the new regulations. Others said Avalon was caving to Gully’s.
Council Vice President Sam Wierman said it was unrealistic for neighbors near Avalon’s commercial district to want “everything shut off” at 8 p.m.
“That’s the reality of living,” he said. “I don’t think 9 p.m. is unreasonable. It’s a middle ground.”
Curio, the solicitor, noted that the resolution did not address other events at Gully’s, like its amplified Monday minnow races, which were also receiving attention from PETA, the animal rights group.
Resident Jody Kyle, meanwhile, noted a noise issue she thought was worse than Gully’s: The noise from the nearby Wawa, which she said went on until midnight or 2 a.m. some nights.
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“It’s underaged kids who belong at home,” she told council.