San Francisco’s Supervisors are slated to undo a couple of recently adopted neighborhood prohibitions this afternoon, clearing the way for drag impresario Heklina to re-open the former Caliente Club space at 298 11th Street as the “T-Shack,” establishing a permanent home for her cabaret theater and Trannyshack revival.
The proposed ordinance to be adopted by the Board would remove the outright prohibition against non-residential uses of greater than 25,000 square feet within Western SoMa and provides an exception for nighttime entertainment uses within 200 linear feet of a Residential Enclave if a nightclub had legally operated at the location within the past five years (which is the case for the 11th Street site).
The ordinance would also pave the way for the proposed expansion of the Presidio Knolls School at 250 10th Street.
Don’t suppose we could get a shake shake up in here anytime soon.
Yay! What a great exception to make! Just when I thought the freak flag was being pulled off the pole, too. Thank goodness something other than clinical apartment buildings are getting the greenlight. The T Shack is a very welcome addition to SF.
Say what you want but those “clinical apartment buildings” as you call them are providing much needed housing in SF. I’m fine with finding a place for this club, but not here. We need more housing in this area.
My first time visiting SF was just before Halloween 15 years ago. I visited some friends in the Lower Haight and we went to the club half a block away. For this small town boy, it was exciting and unreal, that you could put on shoes and be “out.” That’s what a city was.
I don’t go out very much anymore, but I still live near a bit of nightlife. But I still find it odd that so many venues are being closed and not much is opening, not even in the industrial area south of the Dogpatch. What’s the draw of the city if we try as hard as possible to not be a city.
So back on topic, I’m very happy that T-Shack is opening. But let’s figure out where we want new venues to be and then start zoning for a nightlife district. (Near public transit that runs all night, in my dreams.)
The Gay plunge. Used to be a gay swimming pool and laundromat/bar. Could wash everything layout with a beer and get a tan without tan lines.
Used to be a Gay clothing optional swimming pool and laundromat called the Plunge. They filled in the pool.
An Oasis of civilization