As someone pointed out when the feud first surfaced, the case of The Cafe vs. its area NIMBYs was a twist on the usual protest, since The Cafe is actually a club/bar that wants to expand into restaurant operations, not the other way around, as seen most often (e.g., Cafe Flore, also in the Castro). You'll recall The Cafe wanted to take its empty rear space and construct a three-story building that would include a restaurant on 17th Street. Well, the Planning Dept. sided with The Cafe's requests, and approved a "Small Self-Service Restaurant on the ground floor of the addition" plus "Other Entertainment, to expand nights of dancing and live entertainment (DJs) to 7 nights per week." Importantly, even though the decision was one of approval, over 45 conditions were tacked onto the plan (feel free to call the commissioners if you're absolutely dying to know the particular conditions). In the meantime, take a moment of silence for the Castro NIMBYs, who just keep losing these battles.
· Neighbors V. Restaurants [~ESF~]
· Critics, bar square off over changes [BAR]
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