

In a victory for SF nightlife, that proposal we talked about back in March to legislate protections for music venues and nightclubs against complaints by new neighbors and condo owners passed at yesterday's Board of Supervisors meeting. As the Chronicle reports, the new legislation prevents lawsuits by people moving in next door to existing night spots which have become threats to bar and club businesses all over town.

The new law, sponsored by London Breed, will also "require developers and city agencies to take into account the existence of the venues during the construction of new housing and to notify potential residents of their existence before they sign a lease or buy a unit."

The troubles date back into the last decade as more of traditionally uninhabited neighborhoods like SoMa started becoming more full of new residential projects  and as condo conversions took place all over the city creating tensions between new homeowners and longstanding businesses that they suddenly found themselves next door to.

Billboard picked up the story because of its implications for the rapidly changing face of this longtime party town. And they note that the new law means that venues no longer have to pay for costly new soundproofing or engage in protracted battles with neighbors so long as they are operating within their original permits.

In recent years, Slim's in SoMa has had their liquor license temporarily suspended over the noise complaints of neighbors, a Friday night party was shut down at The Cinch on Polk Street because of complaints from new condo owners, and The Make-Out Room in the Mission reported at the Planning Commission in March that they'd recently gotten noise complaints from the same new condo neighbors who had used the Make-Out Room in their promotional materials. Those are just a few of many stories in which new residents or developers have tried to strong-arm longstanding nightlife businesses, despite the fact that they chose to live or build right next to those businesses.

Previously: Local Nightclub Owners Make Noise At City Hall Over Shutdown Threats From New Condos