Commission approves The Lost Church POE at Chestnut with neighborhood conditions

The San Francisco Entertainment Commission voted unanimously on March 15 to approve a Place of Entertainment (POE) application from The Lost Church for a new location at 665 Chestnut Street.

Deputy Director Azevedo summarized the staff recommendation: planning had approved the site for theater use (a Prop H application) with conditions tied to theater operations and alcohol restrictions; staff recommended limiting entertainment to 10:30 p.m. and restricting primary patron egress to Columbus Street while allowing ADA egress on Chestnut. The memo noted nearly 100 outreach letters, 35 letters of support and five letters of opposition; the owner responded to neighbors and held a community Zoom meeting with approximately 20 attendees.

Brett Klein, executive director of The Lost Church, described the nonprofit’s long history producing small, acoustic and theatrical performances and said the organization had sought funding from the California Arts Council, San Francisco Grants for the Arts and the Office of Economic & Workforce Development. Klein said the proposed basement theater would be configured to minimize neighborhood impacts and that he remained open to continued neighbor engagement.

Public comments raised concerns about construction and notice: a commenter representing Viva Thai said floor-plan drawings showed new bathrooms and demolition that contradicted the applicant’s questionnaire, alleged unpermitted jackhammering beginning early in the morning and requested clarity on permitted work and posting; an anonymous neighbor asked that loading and unloading occur only on Columbus Street and requested structural/noise testing to ensure no base leakage into adjacent buildings. Caller Jose urged that performances finish by 10 p.m. or 10:30 p.m. and recommended pre-permit sound testing.

Commissioners stressed that planning department approval established zoning for theater use, praised the applicant’s outreach and voluntary 10:30 p.m. end time, and referenced the basement location and sound mitigation as factors reducing neighborhood impact. After discussion a motion to approve with staff recommendations carried by unanimous vote.

Staff advised the applicant to continue communicating with neighbors and noted that the commission can revisit conditions or recondition the permit if circumstances change.