Board approves modified sidewalk seating permit on Divisadero, limits hours and reduces seats

The San Francisco Board of Appeals on July 31 granted an appeal and issued a modified public-right-of-way table-and-chairs permit for 661 Divisadero Street, imposing conditions to limit residential impacts.

Appellant Philip Laurent, who lives on the Grove Street frontage adjacent to the proposed seating, argued the permit would extend activity into a residential block and amplify an already noisy acoustic profile through evening hours. ‘‘This extends that to 10:00 p.m., which they're phrasing as a concession to our needs,’’ Laurent said, urging the board to consider cumulative neighborhood noise and enforcement burdens on residents.

Representatives for the restaurant operator (Back of the House/Barvalli) said they had removed external speakers, installed internal mitigations and maintained outreach lines; Anoop Mathew said the operator provided a phone contact for neighbors and would post quiet-request signage. DPW’s commercial-permit manager Gregory Slocum described the department’s public-hearing process and said the application met public-works rules but is subject to enforcement and renewal; DPW noted permits are revocable if conditions are violated.

After discussion commissioners sought compromise. The restaurant agreed to drop one table closest to Grove Street and limit hours; counsel said the business would accept three 4-top tables (12 chairs) and last seating at 8 p.m., with the patio cleared by 9 p.m. Commissioner Honda moved to grant the appeal and issue the permit on those conditions; the motion carried 5-0. DPW staff said the permit is subject to annual renewal and complaint-driven enforcement.

What changed: the approved permit narrows the footprint and hours compared with the original application and adds close enforcement triggers for neighbors. The Board recorded the vote as: Santa Cana — Aye; Lazarus — Aye; Honda — Aye; Tanner — Aye; Swig — Aye.