Approved: Tom Rai Restaurant And Bar

On Thursday the Planning Commission voted 6-0 to allow Tom Rai Restaurant and Bar to open on 24th St.

While adding 2 additional units to the building at 4022 24th St is a bonus, neighbors were concerned about plans to expand what used to be Bliss Bar to a full service restaurant with amplified music. The handful of neighbors who spoke at the Planning Commission's third hearing restated their prior objections to noise, loss of green space, lack of parking and an unwillingness of the project sponsor to work with them. They especially decried having a "nightclub" on 24th St.

The Commissioners expressed disappointment that a more collaborative solution wasn't reached, but once determining that the rear yard modifications met guidelines it was obvious that they were most concerned about hours of operation and whether to allow entertainment. The project sponsor reminded everyone that the current operating permit allows for a full bar open until 2am everyday, and that regardless of permits Bliss Bar regularly had loud music, outdoor access and didn't maintain the green space.

Commissioner Moore led the charge to simplify hours granted in the conditional use permit so that Tom Rai and neighbors would know what to expect. After debate, commissioners approved the permit with the following conditions added:

• Permitted hours of operation and entertainment shall be 9am-10pm Sunday - Thursday, and 9am-1am Friday and Saturday.
• Tom Rai is required to install a noise limiter (automatically cuts power to amplifiers if sound levels are too high)
• Tom Rai will return for an informational presentation to the Planning Commission 6 and 12 months after opening to report on adherence to permit restrictions. Public comment will be allowed.
• The Zoning Administer will approve the necessary rear year modification, but Tom Rai will have to work with him to improve the design and sustainability of the green roof.

In the end, neighbors succeeded in assuring green space (in the form of a green roof and trees). But the project sponsor was granted a full restaurant with live entertainment open for longer hours than originally asked for. One of the sponsor's final comments: "Please give us the opportunity to succeed."

[Video: 6/26/15 Planning Commission Hearing, Item 16]
[NVSF: This Week At The Planning Commission: Tom & Rai Will Move Into Rebuilt Bliss Bar (3/25/15)]
[NVSF: Revised Proposal For Tom Rai Restaurant And Bar]
[Planning: 4022-4026 24th St (PDF)]

NVV May 2012: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are highlights from the latest issue. Links are to items we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories online until mid-month.

May 2012

Front Page: Residents on 25th St and Eureka are raising chickens in Noe; Bethany Church Project hopes for a June reopening; profile of 9-year-old Kif who sings his "breathy vibrato" at the Noe Farmer's Market; photo of beat cop Lorraine Lombardo with the NVV and 2 cobras in Marrakech.

Letters: A reader reminisces about the movie theaters on 24th St in the 40s; several calls for more stop signs on Church and 24th; a reminder that it's not just drivers who are clueless - oblivious cell-phone addled pedestrians are just as much to blame; a lament about the demise of Bell Market and the rise of Whole Foods from a former Noe resident (choice quote: "one thing I won't miss is the self-awarded, superior attitude of some Noe Valley residents"); a gripe about the litter caused by the Examiner (see this post to make it stop).

Short Takes: Noe Valley Garden Tour 2012 set for May 19; changes proposed along the Church corridor to speed Muni by 2014.

Cost of Living in Noe: Average sales price for a single-family home is $1.6 million.

Store Trek: The Playhouse at Noe Valley, Sean (men's clothing)

Rumors: The former Ladybug Ladybug spot (next to Martha's & Bros!) will soon be a tea shop called DAVIDsTEA; the former J&J space is turning into a hip women's clothing store called Mill; the old First National Nails and Tanning salon space on Vicksburg will soon be home to a purveyor of olive oil products called Olive This Olive That that will also sell pasta and vinegars; and First Republic Bank is taking over the old Tuttimelon spot. On the Town Square front, a developer has made an offer for the open lot - and the Noe Valley Ministry needs the money by this fall to pay for the planned church remodel; the Ministry has agreed to wait 5 months to see if the Town Square advocates can raise the funds in the meantime. There have been a rash of bike thefts in Noe - check out a video of a theft and more details here. Small businesses will be toasted on May 17 at the Noe Valley Wells Fargo; look for a Sidewalk Sale on 24th Street on May 19 to honor local small businesses as well.

[The Noe Valley Voice]