BY EARNEST WINSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON -- And the beat goes on. Well, sort of.
In a compromise reached Wednesday between the owners of Common Grounds Cafe and the Board of Adjustment, the coffee house will limit live entertainment to music with up to two performers. Also, the music cannot include any amplification.
The compromise, which included granting Common Grounds a conditional use permit to allow live music, followed complaints by residents who said the business had held two concerts that drew overflow crowds on Pike Street.
Co-owners Jeff Mudd and Terri Lyons said they will work with nearby residents, property owners and professionals on ways to control the noise, with the hopes they can use amplification in the future. The owners will attend the Board of Adjustment's Aug. 19 meeting to further discuss the matter.
"We are a new business and we are still learning. We want to help Covington grow and grow with it," Mr. Mudd told the board, "but for our business to grow it is essential to provide (rock 'n' roll) music. It renders a large portion of our business and is imperative to the actual survival of our business.
"We are willing to work with the community on the volume of the music and the size of the crowd it brings. We understand that that we are not the only people on the block, and we respect their presence in the community," Mr. Mudd said. He has bought a sound meter and is looking into insulating the building to control the noise.
The agreement calls for the music to be played on Friday and Saturday nights from 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.
"We certainly don't want them to go out of business. We're certainly willing to work with them," said Dina Ash, who lives a few buildings down from the coffee shop. Mrs. Ash said her main concern is the crowd that has gathered outside the coffee house, which opened in January.
City Zoning Administrator Ralph Hopper said a variety of appropriate entertainment venues are important to the success of the downtown business district.
"However, these operations have to be sensitive to the city's attempt to encourage residential development on the upper floors of buildings in the downtown," Mr. Hopper said.
