Entertainment Commission approves Verso permit at 1525 Mission with sound-testing conditions and neighbor hotline

The San Francisco Entertainment Commission voted to approve a place-of-entertainment permit for Verso, a new venue at 1525 Mission behind Forgery, imposing police-recommended conditions plus two additional requirements from commissioners: a working phone number for neighbors that must be answered in real time and a maximum operational sound limit set in the permit. The motion passed unanimously.

Jeremy Scherer, president of Plumpjack Group, told the commission the space has been divided into a neighborhood bar and a rear nightclub and that the owners have already taken mitigation steps, including building a new party-wall and installing a new sound system. "We're doing our best to be good stewards," Scherer said, adding the operators have met with nearby residents and engaged Charles Salter for acoustical testing.

Neighbors urged caution. Ken Priore, a member of the Lafayette–Minna–Natoma Neighborhood Association, said the building has a long history of sound-transmission problems and asked the commission to "keep the past operational requirements that were on Sloan to be effective for this new space" and to "put a limit on the total sound output on the sound system of the new space at 1525 Mission." Matt Small, another nearby resident, said past operators at the site had been "regularly" in violation of the city noise ordinance and urged strict limits and testing before operations expand. Catherine Norris, who lives adjacent to the building, described persistent vibration and noise in her unit and said neighbors had not been included in some recent tests.

Staff and consultants presented test findings. Jordan, who led a recent acoustical test for the owner, reported the measured noise level in one downstairs apartment during a recent test was "about 10 to 15 decibels lower" than prior measurements after the new party wall was installed, but he cautioned that tests have not yet been completed in all affected units. Inspector Polly documented two tests on Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 and reported in a memo that measurements during those tests were below the city threshold in the unit sampled. Still, staff and several commissioners said more in-unit measurements are needed to verify consistent compliance across nights and setups.

After discussion, commissioners added two owner responsibilities to the police conditions and the commission's good-neighbor policy: the permit will require (1) an immediately answered phone contact for neighbor complaints (a manager or head of security on duty rather than voicemail); and (2) a limit on operational sound levels set at the level recommended by staff and the acoustical reviewer (recorded in the hearing as "1 10 DBC" and discussed as a permit ceiling to allow enforcement; the test data and exact numeric thresholds were discussed in the hearing and are reflected in the inspector's memo). The commission recorded votes in support: Commissioner Lee, Commissioner Mosciitis, Commissioner Kamenong and President (recorded in the hearing as 'Tan') voted "aye" and the motion passed.

The commission's action grants the permit with the stated conditions but leaves several follow-up items: staff will require additional in-unit measurements at residences identified by neighbors, the owner must demonstrate continued responsiveness to a neighbor hotline, and compliance will be monitored by inspectors. Commissioners emphasized that if the venue fails to live up to the conditions the commission will revisit the permit.

The hearing record includes neighbors’ testimony about historical noise problems with the previous operator (Sloan), details of the acoustic tests provided by the owner, and staff recommendations captured in memos. The permit is effective subject to the stated conditions and enforcement procedures; the commission said it expects to see follow-up reports if neighbors continue to report issues.

The commission moved on to other business after the vote.