Noise Pollution
Our commitment is to foster a vibrant and resilient community that values its natural surroundings and works collaboratively to address environmental challenges.
Light Pollution
Traffic Congestion
Parking Shortages
Wildlife Protection
Noise Levels Will Exceed Recommended Standards
Noise from Marin Catholic’s (MCHS) field events is very loud. Located at the base of Ross Valley, MCHS borders densely-populated, rising hills on two sides and wetlands harboring protected species on a third side. The immediate neighborhood is vertical in nature and terraced directly above the school, creating a natural amphitheater effect that amplifies stadium acoustics. The noise is not limited to cheers and boos, but also includes noise from stomping feet on aluminum bleachers, air horns, marching bands, cars and traffic, and crackling PA system announcements.
As one neighbor explains:
“[D]ue to the shape of the hillside (a natural amphitheater), football games and other events at Marin Catholic create significant noise in our neighborhood. The noise …is so loud that we have to keep the windows closed during games – if you are on our deck, it sounds like the game is being played in our backyard….The negative impacts from the installation of lights remains the same as the last time they made the application, and moving the noise to evenings is unacceptable. It would be impossible to sleep in our house during games.(S.K.)
Per Marin Catholic’s own 2016 noise impact report, the noise generated by nightime spectator sports events and practices would result in a 10db-71db increase in noise over existing evening ambient noise levels. To put this in context, each increase of 10 decibels (dB) represents a 10-fold increase in
Noise pollution, I.e. unwanted or disturbing sounds, is an invisible danger that negatively affects the health and well-being of humans and other organisms. For eample, exposure to unwanted or disruptive noises can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep disturbances, and stress. These health problems can affect all age groups, especially children. Many children who live near noisy areas have been found to suffer from stress and other problems, such as impairments in memory, attention level, and reading skill. Noise pollution also impacts the health and well-being of wildlife by making it difficult for them to navigate, find food, attract mates, and avoid predators.
In 2016, the Marin Community Development Agency (CDA) concluded:
“[W]ith respect to the anticipated noise impacts that would result from activating a presently dormant athletic field during the evening hours, it is apparent that there will be a notable change to the noise levels in the surrounding neighborhoods, where the existing ambient noise levels are relatively low during the evening hours.”
Per the Countywide Plan noise policy No-1a, the recommended maximum decibel level for new night time uses is 65dB (60dB for impulsive noise. As the CDA further stated:
“Furthermore, an assumption could be made that the noise impacts that would be generated as a result of the project…would exceed the recommended Standards.
Marin Catholic’s President Tim Navone suggests:
if local residents are bothered by the noise, then “a trip to Costco, a hike on the mountain, or a visit to a friend’s house is in order.”
Local residents reply:
“Really?How are young children in the neighborhood supposed to sleep? Are the neighbors simply supposed to go on night hikes and live at Costco 135 nights a year?
Next Meeting:
Dec 10, 2024
More Significant Negative Impacts
Night Noise. Night Lights. Night Traffic.
Light Pollution
Skyglow and glare is of significant concern for Ross Valley residents due to the topography of the area. Light pollution from the towering 99.5-foot light structures will disrupt the natural night sky and adversely affect local wildlife.
Traffic Congestion
MCHS is a commuter school where more than appx 85% of students are not local. Adding more traffic to the evening rush hour and later will only excacerbate existing parking shortages and cause more traffic jams.
Parking Shortages
MCHS does not have enough onsite parking for nightime events, so they plan to let spectator parking spill over into the neighborhood. Converting local streets into short-term event parking is unlawful and dangerous.
Wildlife Protection
MCHS is adjacent to Hal Brown Creekside Park, which is a breeding area for the endangered Ridgway’s rail and salt marsh harvest mouse. Nighttime lights and crowd noise would negatively impact these and other animals.
Share Your Concerns
FAQs
Please reach out to us with any additional questions or concerns at: PreserveRossValley@gmail.com
Why does MCHS need permanent night lights?
They don’t. MCHS does not need field lights. The school has successfully operated without field lights for years.
However, MCHS wants field lights because they’ve chosen to pursue an aggressive marketing & growth strategy that, notwithstanding existing space constraints, relies heavily on unbridled expansions of its sports programs in order to attract elite athletes. (MCHS is a private school owned by the Archdiocese Of SF).
There are numerous student support programs that are far more appropriate for this site that would not impose significant negative impacts on Ross Valley and the surrounding environs.
How is this proposal different from prior MCHS proposals?
In 2012, MCHS promised to propose a plan that would light the stadium for only 10 evening events a year, specifically including only “five football games and five soccer or lacrosse matches.” As president Tim Navone explained, “…If there’s some trust that it really is just five times a year the community would be impacted, they’d be behind it and support it.”
The current plan proposes to light the stadium for at least 135 night events per year, representing a 135% increase in usage!
Will this create more traffic congestion?
YES!
Traffic along Sir Francis Drake Blvd suffers such congestion that the County recently spent nearly $18 million to try to alleviate the traffic problem between US 101 and the Town of Ross. Even after this project, the traffic flow rates a grade of C, according to the County. MC is in the middle of this heavily impacted stretch. The stadium lights would generate even more traffic right at rush hour, which is obviously a negative development and counter to the effort to improve the corridor. It may also create further safety hazards as students and family leave the late-evening events.
Will this create more parking issues?
YES!
MC’s parking lot and neighboring lots at St. Sebastian church and Bacich Elementary School are not large enough to accommodate the cars for evening events. MC’s proposal acknowledges that parking will necessarily spill over into neighboring areas where the streets are already narrow and crowded with parked cars at night. Countless new visitors would only exacerbate this already serious problem.
Will this create glare or light pollution?
YES!
Skyglow and glare is of significant concern for a wide range of residents due to the topography of the area. This concern also extends to wildlife, as circadian rhythms are often disrupted by such powerful light sources. In addition, the 80-foot tall light towers would be unsightly and would illuminate a large swath of Ross Valley. Views toward and from Mt. Tam would be degraded or eliminated many nights a year, a condition consistent with an urban setting but inappropriate for Marin County.
Will this affect local wildlife?
YES!
Artificial light and noise pollution are one of the most widespread threats to biodiversity around the globe. It has numerous and severe impacts on wildlife, especially harming nocturnal wildlife, species active during twilight, insects, and migratory birds and bats. Artificial light and intrusive noise disrupts natural rhythms, influences predator-prey relationships, and hinders navigation, reproduction, nourishment and sleep.
Does the proposal include specific limits on noise levels and clear restrictions on days, times, and manner of usage?
NO!
Will this provide any significant benefits to Ross Valley residents?
No.
Marin Catholic High School retains exclusive control and use of the fields. MCHS is a tax-exempt private “commuter” school and it is estimated that less than 15% of its students and staff live within our Community. Although MCHS will clearly benefit from the proposed system, there are no significant benefits for Ross Valley residents. This is a fundamentally unbalanced equation: a private benefit, and a public cost.
What Our Community Is Saying
“The noise would be a permanent and unstoppable intruder in our living rooms and bedrooms, and would become one of the defining characteristics of the neighborhood. “
Jim McClellan
“It is so loud that we have to keep the windows closed during games – if you are on our deck, it sounds like the game is being played in our backyard.”
Sarah Killingsworth
“…whistles and yelling at 6am summer football practices, honking and yelling in the parking lot after basketball games and dances, pinging of baseball batting practice throughout the year (not just during baseball season) and blaring pop music during games and practices happens regularly. This weekend alone as I was writing this letter there were cheerleaders practicing, a soccer game (not soccer season) and this morning before 7 am a lacrosse group practicing (not lacrosse season). “
Janet Epstein
“I have been greatly impacted by the noise generated from the very loud sound system, the roar of the crowds, bands playing on the field, and the cars going to and from their parking lot. It was tolerable because it was happening during the day. I can’t even imagine how we would deal with this kind of intrusion on a daily basis well into the evening when the noise level is estimated to increase substantially.”
“[M]y wife and I are elderly, and we retire early in the evening. The noise at night would be far too loud for us to be able to sleep and would greatly diminish the quality of our lives. “
Mark Peery
“[W]e already listen, involuntarily, to the games played there on Saturdays. We can recite the play by play announcing and the crowd reaction.”
Phil Madvig
“The noise of the very loud speakers at M.C.’s many football games is already a gross intrusion on the privacy and quietness of our neighborhood.”
Ann Armour
“The noise continues after the game ends, with students and visitors. There is significant amount of noise after games and practices with cars leaving the parking lot, students yelling, cars doing burnouts,
etc.”
Sarah Killingsworth
Join Us In Protecting Our Community
We invite you to stand with us in preserving the tranquility of Ross Valley. Send us an email or attend the upcoming community meeting to express your concerns about nighttime stadium events. Together, we can make a difference.