In a delayed hearing, Monterey Planning Commission greenlights Compact Disco permit.

Compact Disco opened in July, with a steady stream of dancers coming to downtown Monterey’s only house music venue, located on Tyler Street. But it was only three months later, on Oct. 24, that the venue was granted a corrected permit from the Monterey Planning Commission to continue operations as a nightclub, after the city’s planning department realized the need to reconcile the terms of a previous permit issued for the venue back in September of 2020.

Back then, under different ownership, the space – part of the same parcel as Golden State Theatre, in a zone of historic significance – was about to become a tapas bar. Its previous commercial land use designation was modified with several conditions, one of them being a 12-month trial period to make sure the venue complied with certain requirements (such as modification to the entrance door, noise standards, etc.).

A public hearing on compliance for the previously existing business should have taken place in September 2021, but never happened. In the meantime, the venue changed ownership. Upon checking on operating hours, sound control conditions, a security plan and a safety review from fire and police officials, the commission held the public hearing after a two-year delay, explained associate planner Matthew Buggert.

Commissioners voted unanimously to grant the permit, allowing Compact Disco to operate as a nightclub with no further restrictions.

“The proposed project will not be detrimental to the public health, safety or welfare,” Buggert said, while providing “entertainment opportunities for residents and visitors.”