On Monday, the San Francisco Small Business Board considered a resolution supporting Another Planet Entertainment’s proposed changes to the 100-year-old Castro Theater.
After hearing from an overwhelming majority of direct and virtual public commentators who expressed their opposition to the resolution, the Commission unanimously decided by a 6-0 vote to continue the resolution at a later date.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Another Planet Entertainment would take over programming and overhaul the theater, but ownership would remain with the Nasser family and Bay Properties, Inc.
APE was invited to provide a presentation on the proposed changes, according to Commission Chair Sharky Laguna. Many of the commissioners said this was the first time they had heard of conflict over changes to the Castro Theater.
Sharkey Laguna, Chairman of the Small Business Commission. | | Image: SFGovTV
Ahead of the presentation, Laguna addressed criticism the committee received by email leading up to the meeting.
The committee was set to discuss a draft “Resolution in Support of Another Planet Entertainment”.
“A renovation that maximizes the Castro Theater’s space and expands its use while preserving its historic character is essential to its long-term financial stability. Therefore, now,” the resolution read in part.
“Once resolved, the Small Business Commission will commit to Another Planet to update the Castro Theater to improve accessibility, enhance programming, and allow the Castro Theater to continue serving the LGBTQ+ community for another 100 years. We support the entertainment proposal,” the resolution ended.
Many of the commissioners and speakers wondered why this item was brought before the Small Business Commission in the first place. The speaker urged the commission to wait until both the Historic Preservation Commission and the Planning Commission have considered the project before endorsing a solution.
Image: SFGovTV
Speakers also criticized APE for its lack of transparency and failure to announce a commission hearing at City Hall on August 11. Many speakers said he only heard about the hearings three days ago.
Commissioner William Ortiz Cartagena said, “I still don’t understand why this is in front of our Commission.
“I’m going to understand why this is on our agenda. This particular building has a particularly big impact on Castro’s small business community, which has been struggling even before the pandemic,” Laguna said. Laguana cited Castro’s 37% store vacancy rate and 50% reduction in sales tax revenue.
Attending the presentation were Mary Conde, APE Senior Vice President, Dan Serot, APE’s Vice President of Business, and Casey Lowdermilk, Assistant General Manager. His CEO and co-founder of APE, Greg Perloff, and his Nasser family did not attend.
APE’s presentation began with a brief introduction, followed by a 13-minute video on Castro Theater’s challenges and renovation plans.
The proposed renovation involves removing the orchestra level seating and replacing it with a four-level section of platform with removable seating. Removed the shop in the lobby area. Expansion of women’s toilets. Improved ventilation and electrical systems. Addition of a changing room on the first floor. You could also consider adding an elevator from the lobby level to his 2nd floor.
A rendering of the proposed standing room floor plan. | | Image: Another Planet Entertainment
During the hearing, Serot admitted that he was not fully prepared for the public backlash when he announced that APE would take over management of the historic theater.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t see it as a community center. Instead, we saw it as a business venture,” says Serot.
In response to the APE presentation, Laguna said:
However, Laguna asked APE to do more community outreach. “We want to be a bridge to the community and see some real engagement with the community on these concerns,” Laguna said.
Casey Lowdermilk, another Planet Entertainment Assistant General Manager. | | Image: SFGovTV
The Commissioner spoke to about 20 speakers, all but two of whom were critical of the APE and urged the Commission to withdraw the resolution or continue at a later date.
Originally, public comment was to be limited to one minute per speaker, but after protests from activist Michael Petrellis, Laguna agreed to two minutes per speaker.
Many of the speakers criticized APE’s plans to remove the orchestra level seating. At the hearing, APE clarified that it had not yet decided on the types of temporary seats it would install.
To facilitate removal and installation of the seats, APE said the seats will be stored on-site in a new room built in the former boiler room at the rear of the theater.
Queer public historian Gerald Koscovich shared his concerns about the proposed change and its impact on the LGBTQ+ community and culture.
“The Castro Theater’s classic cinema seating is not accidental, it’s not random, it’s not trivial,” Koskovich said. That’s what I define as a feature.”
“This is what cinema is all about,” added Koscovich. “It is important that the Historic Preservation Commission and the Planning Commission address it before this commission considers it.”
Queer public historian Gerald Koscovich. | | Image: SFGovTV
“When you hear APE talking about bringing in ‘new demographics’ or ‘specific demographics,’ you know what that means,” said Koskovich. “They mean a lot of rock concerts with intoxicated heterosexuals at concerts, 1,400 of which will flood the streets of the Castro.”
Koscovich asked what impact it would have on Castro’s culture, as well as nearby small businesses.
Many commenters also questioned whether Berkeley-based APE would be considered a small business or a San Francisco company.
In response, the mayor of Laguna said the city’s administrative regulations define APEs as small businesses with 100 or fewer employees.
Dave Karraker, president of Castro Merchants, urged the committee to “not make this an all-or-nothing proposition.”
“I want you to understand that this is not about a single business or building,” Karaker said. “It’s about all of Castro’s businesses. Helping these businesses survive. Castro We need the Castro Theater to succeed.”
The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission plans to discuss the proposal on Wednesday, October 5. At that time, the committee will also listen to District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelmann’s proposal to expand the theater’s landmark designation to include the existing orchestra. style seating.
The next day, the Planning Commission will hold a hearing on proposed zoning changes that would allow APE to bring in live entertainment.
