Committee amends Western SoMa nightlife ordinance, continues the item for follow-up

Supervisor Matt Dorsey introduced an ordinance to change the planning code to permit nighttime entertainment on properties fronting Folsom Street between Seventh and Division streets and on portions of 11th Street between Howard and Division. Dorsey framed the measure as restoring permission for nightlife uses in an area historically anchored by queer nightlife and the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District, and said existing 200-foot residential buffers enacted in the 2013 Western SoMa plan effectively block new entertainment uses.

Aaron Starr of the Planning Department told the committee the Planning Commission reviewed the item Jan. 12 and recommended approval but suggested substantive amendments that expand the ordinance’s scope; staff explained those changes are implemented as footnotes and buffer exceptions in the code. Committee members discussed the Commission’s specific edits and the need to ensure the public has time to review substantive changes.

Chair Supervisor Marina Melgar moved to amend the legislation as described in the record; the committee recorded roll-call assent (Supervisors Aaron Peskin, Dean Preston and Marina Melgar). Chair Melgar then moved to approve the item as amended but to continue the matter to next week so the Commission-recommended modifications can be finalized and reviewed. The motion to continue passed by roll call (3 ayes).

What happens next: the committee will revisit the ordinance with the Planning Commission’s recommended amendments, and the item will be scheduled next week for further action. No final adoption or board-level vote occurred at today’s hearing.