The Wayzata City Council tabled action Tuesday on a special event permit for HIFI on the Lake, a proposed two-night concert event at Macanda Restaurant and the Boatworks area near the Wayzata Depot.
The application called for concerts July 17 and 18 from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., with an estimated attendance of about 1,000 people each night. The event would use the Boatworks boat launch area, private property near Macanda, and portions of the Depot parking lot. The permit application listed ticket prices of $69 for pit admission and $100 for VIP admission.
City staff recommended denial, primarily because the event would be the third Level 3 event proposed in July. Under Wayzata’s special event matrix, July is limited to two Level 3 events, which are events with 500 or more attendees.
“We encourage special events, obviously,” Director of Public Works Mike Kelly told the council. “This application happened to be the third of three applications for July and our special event matrix limits the number of Level 3 events to two in July.”
Staff noted that the council does have discretion to approve events outside the matrix if they meet city criteria and do not negatively affect previously approved events.
The discussion exposed a practical tension in the city’s event matrix: under the current attendance-based system, the Fourth of July Flying Pancake Breakfast and Wayzata Community Church’s annual rummage sale can count against the same July limit as a ticketed outdoor concert.
Noise was also part of the discussion. Staff said the city had received complaints related to previous electronic music events, including Macanda’s prior event and WAAM Fest. The proposed stage orientation also drew scrutiny because it would face toward downtown and nearby residential areas.
Asked whether staff would have recommended approval if not for the July event limit, Kelly said the application otherwise appeared to meet city standards.
“The application would have met the standards of application procedures,” Kelly stated. “I think we still would have referenced the noise complaints that we’ve had in the past and probably recommended approval.”
The applicant pushed back on the characterization of the event as a typical EDM concert, saying the music and audience were being misunderstood.
“I really, my heart thinks it’s kind of cool for the city,” Aaron Switz of Macanda said, indicating that communities such as West Palm Beach, Montecito, the Hamptons, and Aspen hold similar events.
The applicant also said the event drew a heavily local crowd last year and suggested he was open to modifying the proposal, including moving to one night and potentially changing the date to avoid the July event limitation.
“So I’m looking for one day in the whole year,” Switz said.
Council Member Molly MacDonald raised concerns that the proposal did not appear to fully account for previous council feedback on event length, start time and stage orientation.
“My first instinct was, oh, you didn’t catch any of the feedback we gave you,” she said.
MacDonald said she would have trouble supporting the application as presented. “As this is presented, I’m now hard to support that without any of those considerations made to the residents,” she said.
Mayor Andrew Mullin said he was not ready to deny the application outright after hearing the applicant’s willingness to revise the proposal.
“I’m hard pressed given the new information that was presented to already deny this,” Mullin said. He said possible changes, including a one-night format or a different date, deserved further consideration by the full council, as was provided to a previous applicant.
Mullin also noted the event appeared to serve a younger local audience.
“It did strike me how many local kids were there and their parents,” he said, adding that young people are a stakeholder group Wayzata does not always hear from in city discussions.
Council Member Ken Sorensen said the discussion helped clarify the issue, noting that staff’s recommendation might have been different if the event did not exceed the July matrix limit.
“I was looking forward to this discussion, because actually I came here uncertain as to how I might come down on this issue,” Sorensen said.
Council members Alex Plechash and Dan Koch were absent, leaving Mayor Andrew Mullin and council members Molly MacDonald and Ken Sorensen to discuss the application. With only three members present, the council tabled action rather than approving or denying the permit that night.
Council members indicated they wanted clarity on whether the event would be one night or two, possible date changes, stage orientation, hours, and conditions aimed at limiting impacts on nearby residents and downtown businesses.
The permit application included draft conditions requiring the applicant to follow an approved sound mitigation plan, provide private security, coordinate with police on contractual overtime, notify property owners within 1,000 feet, maintain marina access for slip holders, and cover costs related to relocating temporary restrooms at the Depot.
