Christmas light show dimmed The city council pulled the plug on Richard Viselli’s “Christmas house” on Tuesday night, in essence forcing the Christmas enthusiast to put an end to his outlandish lights and music shows. After a lengthy discussion, the council chose not to institute an entertainment ordinance for elaborate lighting displays or events, but rather secured a promise from Mr. Viselli to end the shows. The ordinance would have required Mr. Viselli to obtain a permit from the city and possibly hire police officers to direct traffic surrounding his home. “It cut my heart out,” Mr. Viselli later said. “It’s my passion, but I have to live with it. I am happy that I get to at least keep my lights with no restrictions.” The council did agree to allow Mr. Viselli to display a limitless amount of Christmas lights and urged him to continue compromising with his neighbors. The agreement would eliminate the accompanying musical score, which last year was broadcast over a low frequency FM radio station. The main concerns raised by council members involved the public attention that the shows attract through advertisement on his website as well as the traffic and noise problems that have caused tensions for several of his neighbors. Last year, Mr. Viselli’s display drew nightly crowds, sometimes reaching in the hundreds. The Christmas lights discussion sparked a wide-ranging debate that touched on several issues, including Mr. Viselli’s rights of freedom of expression versus his neighbors’ rights to privacy, a debate on when a private event becomes a public concern and questions of land use, permits and the role of the city in resolving neighborhood squabbles. “The issue here for me is not Christmas lights,” councilmember Linda Elderkin said, who favored instituting the ordinance. “It is when a private use in a residential neighborhood becomes a public use that impacts that neighborhood.” (story continues below)
Other council members disagreed, seeing the issue more as a dispute that should be resolved between neighbors or in a court of law. “The city council is the worst organization that you could ever come to to decide neighborhood issues,” Mayor Peter Yao said. “Neighborhood issues are really neighborhood issues, and you guys have to live with each other beyond this event.” The council meeting came on the heels of a failed mediation attempt by the city between Mr. Viselli and roughly 16 of his neighbors. The neighborhood meeting was aimed at finding an agreement that satisfied all parties in terms of the frequency of show and traffic and noise mitigation. The council voted 3 to 2 against instituting the entertainment permit, with council members Sam Pedroza and Linda Elderkin in favor. Despite the agreement to tone down the show, Mr. Viselli promises his Christmas display will still be impressive. His goal is to have up to 45,000 lights at his house and also plans to decorate 5 neighboring homes “to their fullest.” “I’m just looking to add some Christmas spirit to this neighborhood,” Mr. Viselli said.
— Tony Krickl
|
 
|
October 13, 2007
October 13, 2007