§ 3.11.220. Block parties—Approval required.

(a)

No person shall engage in, participate, form or hold a block party, unless written approval for the block party has been obtained from the City of Wichita as provided herein:

(b)

A block party shall mean a temporary gathering of area residents held on a blockaded portion of their residential street or alley within the City of Wichita.

(c)

Requests to utilize a street for a block party or other similar neighborhood event shall be made by filing an application with the Community Events Coordinator. Such application shall be submitted no less than five business days prior to the proposed event. The Community Events Coordinator, with the approval of the Chief of Police, is authorized to close a local street for the purposes of a block party for a period not to exceed five hours.

(d)

The applicant must include a petition in favor of the event signed by two-thirds of residents and businesses on both sides of the street to be closed. Only a street classified by the City as a residential street may be utilized for a block party or other similar neighborhood event.

(e)

The application will be subject to such additional rules and regulations adopted by City staff to ensure that the street closure will not obstruct the operation of emergency vehicles or equipment in or through the area and that the proposed block party does not present a safety, noise or traffic hazard.

(f)

Streets may not be blockaded for a period of time which exceeds five hours.

(g)

Any applicant for a permit under this Chapter who has been administratively denied the issuance of a permit shall have a right of appeal from the denial to the Wichita City Council by filing a written request therefor with the City Clerk. The Notice of Appeal must be filed with the City Clerk within five days of the denial of such permit application. The appeal shall be heard at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the City Council.

The City Council may approve the denial, overrule the denial or modify the request for the permit.

The City Council's decision may be appealed to the Eighteenth Judicial District Court of the State of Kansas pursuant to K.S.A. 60-2101.

(h)

Approval for a block party does not relieve any person from the obligation to obtain any other permit or license required pursuant to this Code or other governmental entity.

(i)

Approval for a block party does not relieve any person from limitations or restrictions contained in the Code of the City of Wichita relating to noise, sanitation, consumption of cereal malt beverages or alcoholic liquor or street obstructions.

(Ord. No. 47-046, § 2, 6-20-06)