zoning

In many municipalities there are local planning policies regarding transportation noise levels that are compatible with residential land development. We frequently work in the Virginia jurisdictions of Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, Arlington County, Loudoun County, the Town of Leesburg, the City of Alexandria, Prince William County, Richmond, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach, the Maryland jurisdictions of Montgomery County, the City of Gaithersburg, the City of Baltimore, Prince George's County, Howard County, and Anne Arundel County, Washington, D.C., and various jurisdictions in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.  In some jurisdictions there are threshold distances from major highway corridors that trigger a specific requirement for a developer to complete a traffic noise study. And in some jurisdictions there is a process of collaboration between the developer and county planning staff, the end result of which is the development of specific development conditions (“proffers”) for the project. Each year we perform over a dozen such noise analyses, typically involving traffic noise but sometimes also involving railroad, rapid transit system, civilian airport, or military air base noise.

Typical Services:

• Conduct transportation noise studies to determine the expected noise level due to traffic, aircraft, or railroad at a future date.
• Conduct surveys of the land development to assess the site and measure existing noise levels.
• Testify to zoning boards on the findings of our acoustical models.
• Propose revisions to proffers to satisfy both the developer's needs and the zoning board's requirements.

exemplary projects

Huntington Crossing

Lennar Homes hired Hush Acoustics to measure noise levels from the Capital Beltway and a Metrorail line at the Huntington Crossing site, model traffic noise levels using the Traffic Noise Model (TNM) computer program, predict future noise levels at the façades of the proposed apartment building, predict indoor site-generated noise levels, and propose architectural changes to the building.

Braehead Manor

Braehead Manor is a house located one mile from downtown Fredericksburg, VA, that was built in 1859 and recently renovated into a bed and breakfast. As part of the zoning approval for conversion to a bed and breakfast, Braehead Manor hired Hush Acoustics to evaluate noise impacts upon the surrounding park land and residences. Upon approval of the special use permit, Braehead Manor successfully opened for business.

Dominion Raceway

Dominion Raceway Holdings LLC hired Hush Acoustics to evaluate noise emissions from the Dominion Raceway on the surrounding community in Spotsylvania County, VA. The new facility has a drag strip, road course, oval track, karting, and concerts. To predict noise levels, we visited the former Old Dominion Speedway during their last season of operation to measure noise levels from drag racing. We then used computer modeling to predict noise impacts in the community. The project ended with zoning approval for the Dominion Raceway.