Noisy Banquet Hall Gets Second Chance

The Arbor Manor, a banquet hall that neighbors have been complaining about, has been given a chance to keep its noise levels down or face revocation of its operating permit.

“I don’t want a war with the neighbors,” Arbor owner Charlotte Carsey said at a Planning Commission hearing Wednesday. “We have tried very hard to control any sound to the point we’re getting paranoid.”

Her husband, Stu Carsey, apologized for the loud parties. “We are trying our best to be good neighbors,” he said. “I admit that noise has been a problem. It won’t be anymore.”

The Planning Commission voted to allow the Carseys to continue the business on the condition that amplified music be taken indoors and that celebrations conclude by 10 p.m.

After hearing from a teary bride-to-be who said her wedding would be ruined if she could not have amplification for her pastor and a singer, the commission decided to allow two speakers to remain outdoors.

The neighbors said they are not satisfied with the commission’s action, though, and vowed to appeal to the City Council.

“This has been a mistake from the beginning,” Mary Morton, who lives nearby the hall, said of the property, which is next door to a senior citizen housing complex. “It is not appropriate for this location.”

She said she has been complaining once a week for the past several months about noise at the business at 1441 Brea Blvd.

The 4,000-square-foot Arbor Manor opened in January. Soon afterward, a large patio and gazebo were constructed behind the building to hold outdoor weddings. Once the outdoor activities began, residents started complaining of loud music and noise from the public address system at late hours.