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Planning panels approve Castro Theater overhaul with conditions after hours of public comment
Summary
After more than five hours of testimony, San Francisco planners and preservation commissioners approved a certificate of appropriateness and a conditional use authorization enabling Another Planet Entertainment to invest in the Castro Theater’s rehabilitation and add nighttime entertainment uses, while attaching new preservation and community‑reporting conditions.
The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission and Planning Commission approved entitlements on June 15 that clear the way for a major rehabilitation of the landmark Castro Theater while imposing new preservation and community‑oversight requirements.
Planning staff recommended the two commissions approve a certificate of appropriateness and a conditional use authorization to allow nighttime entertainment and bar uses on the theater’s first and second floors alongside ongoing movie screenings. The project sponsor, Another Planet Entertainment (APE), said it would invest about $15,000,000 to restore and modernize the building and make it ADA accessible.
“Our main issue before you is pretty straightforward,” said Andrew Junius, the sponsor’s attorney, in his presentation. “Should the Castro Theater be allowed to make the physical and programming changes that are going to be needed to keep the theater open. In exchange for Another Planet spending approximately $15,000,000 to save the historic fabric of the theater, bring the infrastructure up to 21st‑century standards, and create an environment that allows more flexible entertainment options, the…
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