Entertainment Commission approves amended SF Armory permit with strict sound, security and hours conditions

The San Francisco Entertainment Commission voted to approve an amendment to the SF Armorys place-of-entertainment permit on April 5, 2016, after hearing hours of public testimony about loud electronic-music events and proposed mitigation measures.

Commission President Brian Tan opened the hearing and the applicant teams attorney, Mark Loper, described a multi-part sound-attenuation plan developed with Charles & Salter Associates and TEF Design. The plan called for interior vestibules on Fourteenth Street, mandatory music riders that prohibit bass under 40 hertz and limit measured sound to no more than 8 decibels over ambient, sound limiters on amplifiers, shock-absorbing insulation for speakers, use of a house sound system when possible, and secondary interior glazing on windows. Loper said the Armory would not host additional amplified concerts until those measures were completed and tested.

Peter Ackworth, identified in the record as the Armorys CEO, apologized repeatedly for recent problems and told commissioners, "There's no question. There were 2 events that happened back to back ... and those events were too loud. I'd like to go on record and apologize for those." He said the venue would stop hosting concerts until the mitigation work and new controls were in place.

Neighbors and community groups gave mixed testimony. Dozens of residents described repeated February events that they said rattled windows, shook floors and interrupted sleep; one resident said vehicle access to homes was blocked during events. "We were disturbed till 2 in the morning," said Amanda Gregory, who lives half a block from the Armory. Others — including local caterers, event-industry employers and nonprofit users — urged approval, saying the Armory supports neighborhood jobs and provides much-needed event space.

Lieutenant Dave Falzon of the San Francisco Police Department offered the departments recommendations after public comment, telling the commission he aimed to bring the venue into compliance rather than oppose it. Falzon read a set of conditions the department requested: among them, that the permittee provide a monthly calendar of events to Mission Station no less than two weeks before events, maintain redundant phone lines for neighbors, ensure power-washing the sidewalk the day after events of 500 or more attendees, require EMTs on-site for large events, and post security to patrol a roughly 200-foot radius for at least 30 minutes after events greater than 500 people. The department also recommended limiting extended-hour events to a small, specified number per calendar year and required that the Armorys sound attenuation be completed and inspected before a final permit is issued.

Commissioners debated enforceability and hours. After multiple proposed motions and amendments — and an earlier motion that failed to reach a majority — the commission approved a final motion that ties approval to completion and inspection of the Armorys sound plan and SFPD/staff sign-off on the final security plan. The approved conditions include queue-management rules to prevent blocking Fourteenth Street, mandatory use of the permittees sound system or direct control over any promoter equipment, posting readily identifiable security, and a requirement that the venue maintain direct neighbor contact numbers. The commission also set operating-hour limits (weekday and weekend distinctions) as part of the conditions it adopted.

The commission instructed staff and inspectors to pursue an investigation and to issue notices of violation or citations if the record shows unpermitted events occurred. Staff earlier told the commission the Armory had applied for a major amendment (filed 02/09/2016) to align the permit with planning approval, and that planning had held multiple neighborhood meetings to review the proposal.

The decision was narrowly adopted after discussion about hours, enforcement and the need to verify the promised sound fixes and security measures. Lieutenant Falzon said that with the stated conditions "we are not objecting to this application." The permit will not be effective until staff sign-off and required sound tests are completed.