Entertainment Commission approves Habibi Lounge permits with conditions after compliance concerns

The San Francisco Entertainment Commission on Jan. 6 approved place-of-entertainment and extended-hours permit applications for Habibi Lounge, 26 Sixth Street, with conditions negotiated among the owner, neighboring property managers and commission staff. The vote passed 5–2 after discussion about repeated violations and an onsite compliance check on New Year’s Eve.

The commission approved the permits with the conditions that were negotiated with Tenderloin Housing Clinic and the Windsor Hotel and listed in the staff packet. The amended indoor-entertainment hours the commission adopted in the motion were: Thursday–Friday 5 p.m.–2 a.m.; Saturday 11 a.m.–2 a.m.; and Sunday 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Outdoor amplified sound hours were set in the staff recommendations as read into the record: Sunday–Wednesday 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m.–11 p.m., and Friday–Saturday 11 a.m.–1 a.m., with a per-day cap of eight hours. The commission recorded five ayes and two nays (Commissioners Davis and Poggio).

The commission and staff emphasized that the decision to approve does not immediately authorize entertainment or late-night service. Deputy director Azevedo and staff clarified that the permits will not be issued until required Department of Building Inspection (DBI) and other safety inspections are completed and cleared. Until those…