Board narrows Lion Dance Me permit after merchant complaints; conditions limit weekend entertainment

Following an extended and heavily attended hearing on April 17, the San Francisco Board of Appeals granted a partial appeal of a one‑time outdoor event permit held by Lion Dance Me and imposed new time, place and sound conditions intended to balance cultural programming with merchants’ and residents’ concerns.

The permit at issue (ECOTE24‑046) authorized weekend street closures and outdoor entertainment, including amplified sound, on Grant Avenue (multiple blocks) from April 6, 2024 through March 30, 2025. Merchants and several residents appealed, saying the permit’s duration, frequency and permitted footprint (multiple blocks) imposed access and noise harms, and they criticized outreach notices that had been provided only in English.

Norman Lau, founder of Lion Dance Me, said the ensemble’s performances are primarily short (about 30 minutes), serve youth programming and cultural revival in Chinatown, and that the 700 block was the flattest and safest place to stage performances. Many students and volunteers testified about community and youth benefits; other merchants said the closures block deliveries and deter weekend customers, and some residents reported intrusive drumming and sleep disturbance.

Nick Chapman, SFMTA’s manager for street closures and special events, explained that shared‑spaces street closures are approved by an interdepartmental committee (ISSCOT) and that multilingual public notices are required. Chapman said the agency could administratively reissue or recondition a permit to a smaller footprint or reduced days if the permit holder requests a change.

Entertainment Commission Director Maggie Weiland described enforcement and technical sound limits used by the commission (ambient‑level testing, 100‑foot external limits for the permit at hand) and offered to perform on‑site testing at the first events under the permit. She acknowledged shortcomings in language accessibility for outreach materials and committed to improving notices and translated outreach.

After deliberation, President Lopez moved to modify the permit and grant the appeal with conditions designed to reduce neighborhood impacts: limit outdoor entertainment and amplified sound to Saturdays only on the 700 block of Grant Avenue, restrict amplified prerecorded sound to measurements taken at 25 feet from the event periphery not to exceed ambient sound, and limit the revised authorization to a shorter term so the parties and the Entertainment Commission could reconvene and, if needed, recondition the permit. The board read those conditions into the record and the motion passed 4–1.

The board also directed the parties to continue discussions with the Entertainment Commission and SFMTA about narrowing the SFMTA street‑closure footprint and improving neighborhood outreach and language access. The written decision with precise, enforceable permit language will be issued by board staff and served to the parties.