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Commission continues Castro Country Club/restaurant proposal to Feb. 7 for technical work on noise and backyard design
Summary
After hours of testimony both for legalization of the Castro Country Club and against adding a restaurant beneath it, commissioners continued the combined application to February 7 and asked the applicant to return with fixed-window options, mechanical‑equipment plans, and landscape/screening measures to address neighbors’ noise and privacy concerns.
The Planning Commission continued consideration of a combined application at 4058–4060 Eighteenth Street that would legalize the nonprofit Castro Country Club (a long‑running peer‑support recovery space) while converting an adjoining ground‑floor garage to a restaurant (beer & wine service) and requesting a rear‑yard variance and other modifications.
Project architect Ahmad Mohazeb and owner Jorge Momer explained that revenue from a neighborhood restaurant would help subsidize the Castro Country Club operation, which volunteers and clients described as a vital local recovery resource. Staff recommended approval of the restaurant conversion, parking exception, and legalization of the Country Club use subject to conditions. Opposing neighbors raised concerns about noise, evening spillover, odor and the proposed rear‑yard encroachment and stair geometry.
Commissioners spent significant time on the rear light well, whether the restaurant needs operable back windows, potential noisy rooftop mechanicals if windows are fixed, and the size/location of the rear deck and spiral stair. Commissioners asked the applicant to explore two main options: keep the proposed plan but make the light‑well windows non‑operable (and show proposed ventilation/equipment with noise estimates), or pull the restaurant back 10–11 feet (no excavation) to create a decently sized private backyard for the upstairs residential unit and provide a landscape buffer between the Country Club terrace and the private garden. The applicant agreed to return with details (including mechanical equipment location and sound‑mitigation studies). The commission voted unanimously to continue the item to February 7 and to leave the public hearing open for any new information.
Why it matters: the proposal tries to balance preservation of a 30‑year nonprofit recovery institution with residential neighbors’ concerns about noise, privacy and changes in commercial intensity at the ground floor. Commissioners sought precise technical answers before taking action.
Next steps: the project sponsor will supply fixed‑window / ventilation options, mechanical equipment plans and proposed landscaping/fencing so the commission can evaluate noise and privacy tradeoffs on Feb. 7.
Provenance: topic and debate span SEG 2380–SEG 4140; motion to continue at SEG 4020–SEG 4140.
