Board of Appeals upholds Entertainment Commission permit for Castle SF after split vote; commissioners flag ownership and enforcement concerns

The San Francisco Board of Appeals on Sept. 3 declined to overturn the Entertainment Commission’s conditional grant of a place-of-entertainment (POE) and extended-hours premises (EHP) permit for Castle SF at 550 Fifteenth Street, leaving the permits in effect after a tied vote and the underlying decision was upheld by operation of law.

The board heard an appeal from Lorenzo Tenney, who argued the permit was issued on an incomplete or misleading record and that Creative Art Group’s ownership was disputed. Tenney’s attorney asked the board to suspend or remand the permit so the commission could reassess record evidence, including Secretary of State filings and a lease amendment that Tenney said removed his operating authority. “We don’t oppose a lawful nightlife. What we’re opposing is the issue in the manner it was issued,” Tenney’s counsel said during the hearing.

Why it matters: commissioners repeatedly flagged a narrow factual question — whether the Entertainment Commission had a “full and accurate description of ownership” under the police code when it issued the permit — and…