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Supervisors approve interim limits on events at Nob Hill Masonic Center after settlement with neighbors
Summary
After a series of appeals and settlement talks, the Board of Supervisors approved amended conditions allowing the Masonic Center to continue operating while capping large events at lower levels than the Planning Commission had set, and preserving neighbors’ rights to contest future intensifications.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved amended conditions for a conditional use authorization allowing the Nob Hill Masonic Center to continue operating as an assembly and entertainment venue while environmental review proceeds.
The decision follows months of appeals and litigation. Five of six appellants and the venue’s owners reached a settlement that reduced the cap on large events for the interim authorization: the board approved a limit of 54 live-entertainment events and 176 non-live large events per year, and included language excluding events with 250 attendees or fewer from those caps.
Attorney Stanley Lanford, representing appellants from the Nob Hill Coalition and four individual neighbors, told the board the settlement reflected compromise and that the parties reserved other rights for separate proceedings. The venue’s counsel and Live Nation — the operator engaged by the owners — said the agreement applies only to the interim permit while a focused environmental impact review is prepared.
Planning Department staff summarized the history: the center was treated as a legal nonconforming use, and the Planning Commission in January had approved a conditional use authorization with more permissive caps (68 live events, 219 other large events) and many conditions intended to mitigate neighborhood impacts. Planning staff said their recommendations were informed by a review of historic event counts between 2002 and 2007; the department recommended limits derived from historic averages with leeway for annual fluctuations.
During the board hearing, representatives of neighborhood organizations, Grace Cathedral and other nearby stakeholders reiterated concerns about late-night traffic, noise and alcohol service, and urged careful monitoring. The board adopted a motion to disapprove the Planning Commission decision but at the same time adopt the conditional use with the amended cap reflecting the settlement. The clerk recorded the final vote as unanimous (11–0) on the motion as presented by President Chu.
The board’s action allows the Masonic Center to continue operating with the new interim caps while planning staff completes the focused environmental review. The parties and the board emphasized that the settlement and this interim authorization do not preclude opponents from contesting any future applications that would seek an expanded or permanent intensification of operations following the EIR.
