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Entertainment Commission reconditions Hue's permit, limits live entertainment to midnight
Summary
After sustained complaints from neighbors and the police department about fights, late-night noise and overserving at Hue (447 Broadway), the Entertainment Commission voted to recondition the venue's entertainment permit: live/amplified music must end by midnight, neighbors must be notified of a sound-attenuation plan, additional staff must be assigned to bottle-service areas, and the conditions will be reviewed in six months.
The San Francisco Entertainment Commission on June 6 reconditioned the place-of-entertainment permit for Hue (447 Broadway), voting to limit live or amplified music to midnight each night and to impose staffing and neighbor-notification requirements meant to reduce noise, disorder and public-safety impacts around the venue.
The action followed hours of testimony from San Francisco police, a city supervisor and dozens of neighbors and businesses who described repeated late-night fights, public-intoxication calls, and bass that neighbors said penetrated apartments. Captain Paul Yap of Central Station told commissioners that complaints and police records showed a ‘‘clear pattern of disturbances’’ tied to the club and asked the commission to consider time-based limits on amplified music to mitigate neighborhood impacts while keeping the venue in business.
Why it matters: Commissioners said they were balancing public-safety concerns and the neighborhood's nightlife economy. Supervisor Aaron Peskin said the case was "extraordinary" and urged decisive action; many neighbors said the disturbances had become intolerable. Officers documented past incidents—including a 2014 shooting near the location—and presented a spreadsheet of calls for service to illustrate the frequency of complaints.
During the hearing Officer Steve Matthias, Central Station's permit officer, described recurring problems he attributed to overserving and bottle service and summarized noise complaints and CAD incident data. Hue's owner Bennett Montoya and the venue's security manager, John Windsor, described a range of operational changes they had implemented: hiring a professional sound consultant, increasing on-site security staffing, adding an operations manager and cocktail hosts for VIP/bottle-service sections, performing multiple nightly decibel readings, and revising closure procedures to stagger exiting customers. Windsor described heavy front-door staffing and protocols intended to "train the crowd."
Neighbors and nearby businesses, however, told a different story: several residents said they regularly cannot enter or leave their homes after 11 p.m., detailed recurring trash and broken glass, and described being awoken by bass and fights. The Top of Broadway Community Benefit District and multiple business owners urged stronger restrictions.
The commission's conditions: The motion that passed requires Hue to end amplified or live music by midnight, share a sound-attenuation/implementation timeline with neighbors, increase staffing dedicated to bottle-service and VIP areas (the commission specified one manager, two security staff and one host per bottle-service section), and submit to a formal review of compliance after six months (or sooner if staff testing shows compliance). The vote passed with Commissioners Perez, Cavanaugh, Thomas, Blyman, Lee and President Bridal Tan voting "Aye" and Commissioner Frost voting "No."
What's next: The commission directed staff to monitor compliance and to work with SFPD and the venue to verify whether the new measures reduce complaints. The commission emphasized that reconditioning is not intended to close businesses but to require enforceable, verifiable steps to protect neighbors.
"I'm not here to close them down," Captain Yap said in his presentation. "My only stake is public safety." Hue management said it intended to implement the measures and to continue working with police and the community.
The commission noted available enforcement tools (including possible suspension) if the venue remains out of compliance.
