Commission advances 5 Third Street hotel recommendation after noise and lighting discussion

The Entertainment Commission voted to advance a recommendation for a proposed boutique hotel at 5 Third Street, after a detailed presentation on design, noise and lighting considerations for converting a historic Hearst‑era office building into a hotel with ground‑floor food and beverage and rooftop event spaces.

Todd Chapman, president of sponsor JMA Ventures, and architect Greg Shepherd reviewed the conversion plan and said the design preserves historic lobby and façade elements while adding upgraded windows for sound control and new event spaces on upper floors. Shepherd said some event spaces could be used for limited entertainment permits in the future.

Sound consultant Deborah Jew (Wilson, Eragon Associates) summarized a draft noise report based on a continuous noise survey conducted over a Friday–Monday period to document exterior day‑night noise levels on Market Street, Third Street and Stevenson Street. Jew said exterior noise at the façade is dominated by traffic and emergency vehicle sirens; the firm has produced calculations for potential rooftop and interior sound scenarios but said additional in‑building testing and design‑stage isolation measures are intended to address internal sound transfer. Jewelry[sic] (consultant) noted that while calculations were conservative, some interior testing during design development remains to be done to evaluate adjacency with existing places of entertainment such as Local Edition and other POEs.

Commissioners emphasized three recurring concerns: (1) internal noise transfer from ground‑floor or basement entertainment up to hotel rooms; (2) potential rooftop amplification affecting nearby hotels and residential units; and (3) the interaction of lighting and public safety on adjacent alleys and sidewalks. The project team said they would retrofit windows, use mass and resilient ceiling assemblies between suites, pursue isolation details on floors with amplified sound and target about 20 foot‑candles for adjacent sidewalk lighting while reducing glare from existing floodlights.

After extended discussion and recommendations for further internal sound testing and continued outreach to nearby places of entertainment, a commissioner made a motion to move the project forward; the commission approved the motion by roll call. Staff clarified the commission was advancing a recommendation rather than granting a final permit; the project will continue through planning review with additional testing and mitigation measures to be developed in design.