Last night, the City Planning Commission unanimously voted to approve a dance hall permit for The Southern Café and Music Hall. (The Southern, for short. Yes, I’m making a ruling on that now—we all called The Satellite Ballroom "Satellite," didn’t we?) No drama, no public comments for or against the venue’s application for the special permit.
Although there were a few laughs. Outgoing commissioner Cheri Lewis raised a few chuckles by referring to a portion of the permit application titled "Impact on the Neighborhood," which addressed concerns over "noise, light, dust, odor fumes, vibrations, and other factors which adversely affect the natural environment, including quality of life of the surrounding community."
Giving The Southern a dance hall status until 2am, according to commissioner Dan Rosensweig, would allow the club to function as music venues typically do. Lewis—who began the meeting by thanking her colleagues, city councilors and more for their cooperation during her terms on the planning commission—didn’t miss her punch line. "To be loud and smell bad," she added with a light-hearted chuckle.
All’s well that begins well. In related news, anybody want to start going to planning commission meetings on Tuesday nights? Don’t worry, they won’t interfere with the first three gigs scheduled for The Southern.
Also worth a look: Barking Cherry House Concert maestro Len Jaffe, a man with some serious listening room booking experience, sent us his thoughts on The Southern. Give ’em a look, and add your own below.