New Venue Proposal Sparks Fears of Stratos Nightclub 2.0

Entrepreneurs who are seeking approvals to open a music venue at the site of a troubled Ocean Avenue nightclub are meeting opposition.

Alfonso and Oliver Guzman are proposing to open a business called Copacabana in the former Stratos Nightclub located at 358 Ocean Ave. The brothers said it would focus on Latin dance and cultural programming.

However, Stratos' past has some nearby residents concerned over the Guzman’s proposal to operate late hours and host live music.

“The way it's being portrayed right now, it's like, Oh, this is a reopening of Stratos,” said Chris Heistand, a father and resident of Santa Rosa Avenue. “Maybe the music and the entertainment are different, but 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Sunday, that's not a neighborhood crowd.”

Stratos' entertainment permit was revoked in 2023 and shut down after a series of shootings and safety issues. The crime and constant partying gave many of the club’s neighbors headaches, they said.

“We don't wanna have that reputation,” Alfonso Guzman said. “It's gonna be hard, but we're different.”

The brothers have submitted applications for a Type 90 liquor license (a more affordable option for businesses classed as music venues) with Alcohol and Beverage Control and, on Nov. 12, an application for an entertainment permit with the San Francisco Entertainment Commission.

New Mission Terrace Improvement Association President David Hooper said about a dozen residents have filed protests with the ABC.

Prudence Hull, who submitted one of the protests, questioned the need for another entertainment venue in the area.

“We have a very successful bar down the street, and we have a community performance space at Geneva Powerhouse that is underutilized,” Hull said. “We don't need what they're offering.”

After the 2023 shooting at the site, the Entertainment Commission found that the club was out of compliance with security protocols, which specified the use of metal detector wands.

The Guzmans insist Copacabana would be different.

“We’re really going to invest in security,” Alfonso said. The Guzmans, who live in the Mission District, described their plan as more of a cultural music venue, more similar to Tropi-gala, the Latin nightclub that preceded Stratos.

“The Tropi-gala was up for so many years without any issues with the music as far as I know,” Oliver Guzman said.

At Monday’s NMTIA meeting, the family returned, after having previously arrived unannounced at the October meeting, this time prepared to address additional neighborhood concerns.

“They'll say one thing, but when it's up and running, it's a totally different thing down the road,” resident Chris Vivas said during the meeting. “We don't want to relive that. It was a nightmare.”

The Guzmans insisted on distinguishing themselves from the term “nightclub” and offered an expanded schedule that included daytime hours and community events such as dance classes.

Property owner Marco Meza, who has owned the building for 27 years, said the location remains appropriate for an entertainment venue, being that it is less residential and surrounded by a “church, garage and a gas station.”

Vivas, 49, has lived beside City Gas station all his life, and when Stratos was in operation, his family dealt with sleepless nights, vandalism and people urinating on their property.

“I don’t blame the neighbors for being concerned,” Meza said. “It’s true that Stratos was a disaster.”

Along with not paying rent, he said the business owners left the place in disrepair, with cut electrical wires and other damage.

The building has sat vacant for two years. Meza said he is willing to give the new tenants a chance after hearing what they had in mind.

“Just the fact that we mentioned a nightclub, that's the red flag for everybody,” he said. “I get the feeling some people are really going to insist on not opening the place.”

The Guzmans have scheduled an on-site information meeting, as required by the Entertainment Commission, for Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. and will be open to the public.