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This month, Another Planet Entertainment, the company that manages the Outside Lands music festival, announced that it was taking over programming of the Castro Theatre, converting the 100-year-old movie theater into a live events venue. The Castro is already in a moment of flux. Bars will be allowed only on the first and second stories of buildings, and the new zoning is conditional, meaning that any new permits will still be subject to review, and neighbors would be able to voice any objections. His new ordinance retains some restrictions on where and how bars can open. (It shuttered in 2005 the space is now Toad Hall.) In addition, the current set of bars doesn’t necessarily reflect the increased diversity in the neighborhood, Mandelman added. The last African American-focused bar, the Pendulum, closed maybe 20 years ago,” he said.
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“There’s no lesbian bar in the Castro right now. Inviting new business owners could result in bars that serve a more diverse array of people, Karraker said. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Some pointed to an unintended consequence of the 1987 ordinance: less diversity among bar owners. John Storey/Special to the Chronicle 2016 Gay bars, including the Mix, draw visitors to the Castro neighborhood. “There are some great bars in the Castro, but I’ve also heard from some people the perception that the nightlife isn’t as exciting as it could be.”
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The scene would benefit from some new blood, Mandelman said. But the neighborhood has also mourned the loss of some of its storied entertainment destinations, including the video bar Badlands, which closed in 2020 after 45 years. Historic gay bars such as Twin Peaks Tavern draw visitors from around the world. In spite of the decades-long ban, the Castro has remained famous for its nightlife. (A new wine shop that opened Tuesday, called Bottle Bacchanal, isn’t affected by the ban because it isn’t a bar.) The area that many San Franciscans colloquially refer to as the Castro extends beyond those official boundaries. Almost all of those spaces were vacated during the last two years, the planning department noted in a report last month.Ĭurrently, there are eight bars in the Castro Street Neighborhood District, which is defined as Castro Street between Market and 19th streets, and on 18th Street between Diamond and Noe streets. The Castro’s storefronts had a vacancy rate of about 15% as of November, according to the City Planning Department, which considers a 5% to 10% rate to be healthy. The Castro isn’t the only area of San Francisco with such a ban in place, but it’s one of just a few, he added.ĭiscouraging new businesses from opening seemed particularly counterproductive given the increase in vacant storefronts during the pandemic. Jennings did not respond to a request for comment.Ĭommunity members say the city needs to help make it easier to fill the Castro’s vacant storefronts, such as Q Bar, seen vacant in 2020. She brought her vision - wine, piano music, light snacks - to the City Planning Department only to learn about the categorical ban on new bars. The impetus for the ordinance, Mandelman said, was hearing the experience of Suzie Jennings, who wanted to open a bar in the neighborhood. Lifting the ban, these proponents say, would help ease the Castro’s storefront-vacancy rate - a problem Mandelman described as “horrendous.” Moreover, they view the new ordinance as a way to promote equity in the small-business community by boosting diversity among bar owners. Now, however, Mandelman and many of his constituents say that the rule is outdated and threatens the economic and cultural vitality of this famous neighborhood with historic ties to the LGBTQ community. That ban may have been motivated by a feeling at the time that the neighborhood was becoming oversaturated with bars, Mandelman said, and a fear that they might displace other types of businesses. Yet since 1987, new bars have been banned in the Castro Street Neighborhood District, an area stretching several blocks out from the intersection of Castro and 18th streets.