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Planning Commission approves expanded Cafe Flor hours with monitoring and a nine‑month review
Summary
After nearly three hours of public testimony, the Planning Commission approved conditions allowing Cafe Flor 24‑hour food service and amplified entertainment until 2 a.m. with limits on the patio, Entertainment Commission sound monitoring, a required neighborhood contact number and a 9‑month public report back.
The San Francisco Planning Commission voted Dec. 6 to approve a conditional‑use package that allows Cafe Flor (2298 Market St.) to expand food service and apply for amplified entertainment, subject to a series of conditions intended to limit noise and impacts on nearby residents.
Planning staff recommended approvals with conditions including limiting sidewalk tables, closing the interior courtyard to patrons at a set hour, assigning delivery windows, and requiring Entertainment Commission oversight of amplified sound. The Entertainment Commission completed a preliminary sound test and said it would set a limiter on the cafe’s system and monitor compliance.
After extensive public testimony from residents, merchants, community groups and on‑the‑record letters — with dozens of speakers both for and against the change — commissioners modified staff recommendations: sidewalk tables and chairs must be removed earlier on weeknights and weekends; the interior courtyard and terrace will be closed by midnight; amplified sound will be subject to Entertainment Commission limits; the Noe Street gate will be used only for ADA access and emergencies after midnight; and the cafe must provide a telephone contact for neighborhood complaints. The Commission adopted a 9‑month review and required two noise surveys by the Entertainment Commission during the trial period. If the trial shows compliance, the Commission authorized a process by which the zoning administrator could administratively allow 24‑hour patio operation following a public informational hearing.
Bob Davis, director of the Entertainment Commission, told the Planning Commission that the Entertainment Commission would “pay specific attention to this” venue and help set and verify limiter settings. Owner JD Petras said the patio is central to the cafe’s survival and that the business provides late‑night food and fundraising space for nonprofits.
The motion to approve the modified conditions passed unanimously. The order requires staff to return with the six‑ and nine‑month analyses and for the Entertainment Commission to execute the agreed monitoring plan.
