Commission Approves OM Lounge at 560 Geary; Outdoor Hours and Noise Rules Added

The Planning Commission granted conditional use authorization for OM, a restaurant-lounge proposed for a basement and rooftop garden space at 560 Geary, subject to specific restrictions on outdoor hours and sound.

Jim Miller of the Planning Department described the proposal and noted the site sits below the Gaylord Hotel—s lobby level; staff recommended approval with standard conditions including a community liaison. Christopher Smith, a project partner, said the venue would offer world-fusion cuisine, indoor and outdoor seating and a careful program of DJ or occasional live music designed to be compatible with the neighborhood.

Several residents and neighborhood groups spoke against intensifying entertainment uses in an area they described as among the city—s most densely populated residential blocks. "We have club after club after club coming into our neighborhood," said Robert Garcia of Save Our Streets Tenants and Merchants Association, warning of sidewalk encroachment, late-night noise and party buses.

Project representatives said they had met with police and planned no outdoor amplified entertainment; a rooftop cabana scheme would allow low-level private audio in cabanas but not a general amplified system. Commissioners placed several conditions on approval: the outdoor area must close by 12:00 a.m. (midnight), no general amplified music outdoors (individual cabana audio permitted subject to decibel review), outdoor entertainment limited and subject to the Entertainment Commission, and lighting limits to avoid glare beyond the property line.

Commissioners framed the decision as balancing neighborhood livability with reuse of a long-vacant space. The motion passed unanimously. Staff will include the conditions in the permit and coordinate with the Entertainment Commission on noise standards.