The Larchmont Village Board of Trustees issued the following statement on Locals, a restaurant at 2128 Boston Post Road.

When Locals first approached the Board to create a “private event space”, this use was not allowed under Village Code and the concern was that this use was not a “one size fits all” like a restaurant. The result was that the Village created the Special Permit process to allow for different and creative uses, but still be able to review the use when a Special Permit comes up for renewal to make sure it is working the way it was intended.  

When Locals presented its application for a Special Permit in 2023, there was no reference to having routine rock concerts as an intended use of the space. Locals presented it as baby showers, violin concerts, birthday parties, etc. to both the Village and its neighbors. Once it became apparent how the space was being used and what impact it was having on its neighbors, the Board asked Locals to increase sound proofing. The Board stressed that the impact on neighbors, as well as any mitigation taken, would be considered during the Special Permit renewal process in 2025. When the end of the two-year permit was approaching, no effective action had been taken by Locals to mitigate the sound issues. The Village Board had the option to revoke the Special Permit in its entirety at that time, as there was clear documentation of its violation of both the Village’s Noise Code (Section 195 of the Village Code) as well as with several conditions of its Special Permit (as identified at the November 2025 Village Board meeting). Instead, the Village Board sought to give Locals an opportunity to work through sound consultants to remedy the situation and correct the violations.

Since that time, the Board has been actively working with all parties to find a resolution. The Village Board’s intent in hiring its own sound consultant was to prevent putting the Board in the position of acting as a referee between the parties’ sound consultants. The Board wanted a sound consultant who would provide an unbiased report on what was reasonable under the circumstances to help guide the Board through this process.

Locals initially requested a change to allow ambient music to be played in the background and within a week of that request the Village’s sound consultant was scheduled to test the space. Based on the testing done by both the Village’s sound consultant and Locals’ own sound consultant, the Board determined that ambient music should be allowed, so Locals was able to move forward. The ball then remained in Locals’ court to work with its consultant to create a sound proofing plan. Locals informed the Board at the end of March that it was ready to have the sound consultants return for additional testing, which was completed on April 15.

At this point in the process, the Village is waiting to receive the report from its sound consultant based on the April 15 testing. Once the Board receives the report, it will evaluate next steps.