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Entertainment commission approves Secret Alley permit after neighborhood noise concerns
Summary
The San Francisco Entertainment Commission conditionally approved an LLP permit for Secret Alley after residents raised nighttime noise concerns; staff said a decibel limit will be set and enforcement via 311 can trigger inspections and suspension for repeat violations.
The San Francisco Entertainment Commission on Nov. 18 conditionally approved an LLP permit for Secret Alley, a multistory creative workspace proposing indoor entertainment on its second and third floors.
Noel Bonjoe, who identified himself as director of Secret Alley, told commissioners the venue hosts more than 40 studio tenants across art, film and music and plans limited programming using a modest PA and double-paned glass on the second floor and curtains on the third. "We have double paned glass on the 2nd Floor and...follow the guidelines," Bonjoe said, adding the venue intended to follow sound and neighborhood standards.
During public comment, Raymond Raymond of Mission Plaza Apartments said he received the mailed notice but had not received responses to calls and voiced concerns about noise for senior residents who go to bed early. "At least half of the residents in the apartment complex I live in are seniors... We're just concerned about the noise level," Raymond said.
A member of the public and staff explained the commission's enforcement process: the office sets specific decibel limits on permits, inspectors respond to 311 complaints in real time, and repeated violations can lead to notices and suspension (three violations in a month can trigger suspension). As staff explained, "All of our permit holders are given a decibel limit set by our sound inspectors, And anytime there's a complaint... it is our inspectors who go out to do the enforcement." (Statements paraphrased from commission staff remarks in the hearing.)
Commissioners moved the Secret Alley item from the consent agenda to allow public comment, then voted to approve the permit with staff recommendations. The commission asked staff to impose the recently determined sound limit and to follow up with the applicant on next steps.
The permit was conditionally granted; the commission directed the applicant to be responsive to neighborhood inquiries and to work with staff on required sound mitigation and monitoring. The matter closed with the commission's routine follow-up steps for compliance and enforcement.
