The San José City Council unanimously denied a neighborhood’s appeal on Feb. 24 against allowing planning staff for PayPal Park to host music events despite noise concerns from residents in the area.
The ruling comes after neighbors challenged the original application that was greenlit by the City of San José in November, allowing PayPal Park up to 15 concerts a year, according to a Feb. 26 Mercury News article.
Matthew Bright, a resident of the area and member of the Newhall Neighborhood Association, spoke at the Feb. 24 council meeting asking council members to understand the negative impact that concerts at PayPal Park may have on neighbors.
“We are already disproportionately impacted by cumulative noise generated by San José Airport, Union Pacific freight trains, BART construction and Interstate 880,” Bright said. “I’m also a fan of live music.”
The Newhall Neighborhood Association that Bright belongs to was founded in 1991, the boundaries of the neighborhood are Coleman Avenue, Interstate 880, Park Avenue and the Santa Clara city border, according to its website.
Regulations were put in place for PayPal Park to take residents of surrounding neighborhoods concerns into account. For example, events will not be allowed to run before 9 a.m. and after 11 p.m., according to a Nov. 19, 2025 article from KTVU Fox 2.
The city will monitor sound levels during the first two concerts to determine if changes need to be made, according to the same article.
Bright said that the proposal needs to be sent back and revised to include stricter regulations, and the San José City Council is the last line of defense.
“Please, ignore the false choices,” Bright said. “We can agree that the process was flawed and conditions need to be revitalized while aiming to host concerts as soon as possible.”
Bright continued to explain how in 2010 when the city approved planning for PayPal Park to originally be built, planning staff assured him the decibel level wouldn’t be a noticeable difference.
“In 2010, the council was presented with two choices,” Bright said. “Forbid concerts entirely or leave the door open to concerts only toward the airport.”
Bright explained how based on simulated data at the time, there was no way to achieve less than significant noise impact with concerts at PayPal Park.
New data from 2024 shows that it is found to be able to work, but it was not presented as an option to the revisional plans presented before the council.
Erik Schoennauer, a representative for the San José Earthquakes, said in the Feb. 24 council meeting that live concerts have always been a part of the plan for PayPal Park.
“In 2024, there were 60 events held at the stadium of different types, which resulted in direct spending of $76 million dollars,” Schoennauer said. “The benefit to the city and downtown is significant.”
PayPal Park held events which included Enchant Christmas, Bay FC and Earthquakes games during the regular season and various cup tournament games.
Schoennauer said that the city already did an extensive noise evaluation, simulating what an actual concert would sound like, and assured the city will put in regulations based on the findings from the evaluation.
The regulations would include speaker volume being limited to 96-98 dBA (A-weighted decibel) when facing away from the airport, follow up noise studies during the first two concerts in order to corroborate earlier findings, according to Schoennauer.
“Good neighbor communication with Newhall is mandated,” Schoennauer said. “That is through a quarterly meeting.”
Michael Mulcahy, a councilmember of District 6, said that the council is open to modifications to concerts at PayPal Park at the same city council meeting.
“It’s not an absolute no,” Mulcahy said. “There’s an openness and understanding that (The Newhall Neighborhood Association) recognize PayPal Park is a great asset for the city, and they have come forward with ideas.”
Jen Baker, the director for the Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs for the City of San José, said she is excited about what the future holds for PayPal Park and the Earthquakes.
“The City of San José and sports fans are experiencing the positive impacts that PayPal Park events have on local businesses,” Baker said. “We are excited about what the additional summer events will bring.”
With the San José Earthquakes flipping their schedule from summer to winter for 2027-2028 season, they will open the door for summer events to be held regularly, according to the MLS.
“Bay FC and the San José Earthquakes games are natural drivers of fan traffic during the regular season,” Baker said. “Inviting teams and fans from out of state to come experience San José.”
