Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Permits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Entertainment Commission approves Buzzworks permit with police conditions after applicant pledges noise controls
Summary
The San Francisco Entertainment Commission approved a place-of-entertainment permit for Buzzworks at 365 Eleventh Street, imposing police-recommended conditions (exterior cameras, event-calendar reporting and a ban on party-bus promotions) after the applicant described neighborhood outreach and sound-mitigation plans.
The Entertainment Commission voted to approve a place-of-entertainment (POE) permit for Buzzworks, a sports-tavern concept at 365 Eleventh Street in SoMa, after debate over police-recommended conditions and neighborhood outreach.
Applicant Vlad Coode told commissioners his space is designed to limit loud sound, describing a small in-house PA and “buzz boxes” that let patrons tune tabletop FM receivers to the same broadcast so sound is localized to tables. “Your granting of this original POE would actually shatter a 32 year old moratorium, established in 1982,” Coode said, noting extensive weekend outreach and a plan to integrate nearby restaurants into the food program.
Southern Station officer Simon Chan outlined recommended public-safety conditions he had discussed with the applicant, including valid guard cards for security personnel, routine emailing of the venue’s event calendar to police, exterior security cameras, and a prohibition on party-bus–associated events. Chan said he and the applicant had agreed to remove a separate training requirement from the police list and that isolated one-night exceptions (for World Cup nights or similar) could be handled as special events.
Commissioners debated which police conditions to adopt and clarified that extended-hours authority would require a separate planning and conditional-use process. The commission then approved the permit with the police conditions retained in the packet as amended (exterior cameras, guard-card requirement, event-calendar reporting, and no party-bus promotions). In roll-call remarks recorded by staff, commissioners who voiced ayes included Campagnoli, Lee, Joseph, Hyde, Perez, Akers and President Tan.
The permit approval allows Buzzworks to move forward with build-out and a planned opening window the applicant said would be in January to align with sports-season demand. The permit includes conditions the permit holder must meet and will be enforced by permit staff and police.
What happens next: Buzzworks must meet any outstanding planning or building requirements and comply with the policing and permit conditions; the commission will expect any required notifications of one-off special events.
