Residents of the Dorchester House Want Pile Driving Pushed from 7am to 8:30am – Reasonable?

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Part of a letter from The Dorchester Residents Alliance to Borger Management:

Residents of the Dorchester House Apartments received notice on May 10, 2013 that the pile driving phase of the expansion project would, after a short delay, begin today. The notice stated that “there will be a significant amount of loud noise” starting at 7:00 a.m. and lasting approximately three to four weeks. The notice also invites residents to contact Borger Management regarding concerns that pertain to the expansion project.

To further minimize the impacts of noise on residents and the community, we respectfully request that the Dorchester House and Clark Construction delay the start of pile driving until 8:30 a.m. on weekdays. In past construction projects, the Dorchester House and Borger Management have observed a policy of delaying start times of construction inside the building until 8:30 a.m. on weekdays. The purpose of this policy was to limit disruptions caused by construction noise occurring within close proximity of residents’ homes.

Although pile driving is a necessary part of the construction process that provides foundation support for future buildings, the noise created through this process is disruptive to the residential community near the expansion project. Given the close proximity of the expansion project to our homes, delaying the pile driving to 8:30 a.m. would be a reasonable accommodation—consistent with past practices— that the Dorchester House and Clark Construction should take to minimize the impact on
hundreds of residents affected by expansion project.

Do you think requesting the start time from 7am to 8:30am is reasonable?