Some Residents Raise Concerns With Feet On The Street

Many concertgoers enjoy a good, thumping bass. But if you're not at the concert, that thumping and pounding can be a bit of a hassle.

For some residents in the Penthouse condominiums on Allegheny Avenue, that sound is a weekly visitor from the Feet on the Street concerts, a free music program organized by the Towson Chamber of Commerce.

"It is so bad that I have called the police at least four times because I am in my own condominium, with my windows closed and the air on and the TV on because it is really loud," said Melody McSweeney, a Penthouse resident on the 24th floor. "I'm starting to feel like the crazy old lady on Allegheny Avenue."

Craig Wehrle, manager of the Penthouse's condominium association, could not be reached for comment, but he told the Towson Times earlier this week that most residents don't have a problem with the concerts.

"It is what it is, and there is nothing anybody can do about it," he told the paper. "Even with a great thing, there are always going to be complaints. I just report them to the chamber."

The Feet on the Street series, organized by the Towson Chamber of Commerce to stimulate business, has run from May through September for the last five years. Allegheny Avenue is closed from West Joppa Road to Washington Avenue. A band plays on the Joppa Road end while other activities, including local vendors and a beer truck, take up much of the rest of the block. Nancy Hafford, the chamber's executive director, says she has addressed the neighbors' concerns.

"I've got one sound guy I use every time and he controls the level," she said.

After hearing complaints recently, Hafford told him to "turn it down to the lowest possible level we could have it for an event like this."

But as for changing Feet on the Street or moving it, Hafford said that's out of the question. She pointed to a recent Money Magazine piece that highlighted the concerts in a

Moving it to the streetscape on Washington Avenue is also impractical, Hafford said, because there are no businesses on the street that would benefit.

McSweeney was dubious about claims that the concerts are economic boosters.

"A buck-a-beer wagons… how does that help anybody on that street with a restaurant?" she asked.

Hafford said she recently went door-to-door speaking to area businesses and 90 percent of the merchants in that block of Allegheny Avenue reported positive things about Feet on the Street, she said, including restaurants such as Strapazza and Ridgely & Ferrens.

"You're going to have people that are unhappy with everything," said Hafey Hyle, owner of Ridgely & Ferrens, who sets up a stand outside his restaurant during the concerts. "It's not the cat's meow, but it helps me. I feel that Feet on the Street is doing what it's supposed to do."

During events such as Feet on the Street and the Towson Farmers' Market, jewelry shop Grillo & Co. takes advantage of its location with tables on the sidewalk. 

"If you can get 2,500 people in front of you for nothing, shame on you if you don't market to that," said owner Phil Grillo.

The only business Patch found that did have concerns was Cafe Troia. Until this year, the roadblock at Washington Avenue  was a hassle for valet customers, who had to get out of their vehicles at the intersection and walk to the door.

Owner Lisa Troia Martin said her business suffered, too. But this year, she came to an agreement with Hafford to change the roadblock to allow access to valet parking and also give Penthouse residents access to their garage from Allegheny Avenue.

"It works much better because our customers are able to pull up in front of the restaurant," she said. "In years past, it was a detriment. It deterred people from coming to Towson if they weren't going to Feet on the Street."

Martin also added sidewalk seating during the concerts, which she said were full last week.

Hafford concedes that turning down the music and fixing roadblocks won't change all minds.

"Some people don't like the farmer's market, so you can't do anything to please everybody," she said. "That's impossible. What you do is try to make people as happy as you can and you make adjustments."