A growing number of University Heights residents are raising concerns about recurring late-night noise and disruptive behavior they attribute to Park & Rec, the popular bar and entertainment venue at 4612 Park Boulevard, as a prospective new operator publicly promises to address what he calls a "laundry list of issues."
The latest complaints surfaced this week in a University Heights neighborhood Facebook group, where residents described hearing booming bass music blocks away, windows rattling late into the night, intoxicated patrons allegedly urinating and vomiting on private property, and discarded alcohol containers left throughout nearby residential streets.
"I've lived in the neighborhood for years and it just doesn't seem consistent," one resident wrote. "We can manage to drown it out for the most part, but hearing the bass and lyrics with all the windows closed at 10:30 p.m. on a Sunday, being a street away can be annoying."
Several longtime neighbors said the situation has worsened since Park & Rec opened in 2015 in the former Bourbon Street space.
"I've lived a block away for 24 years," one resident commented. "The old place was loud but stopped the noise earlier than Park & Rec. I've had my windows rattling well past midnight."
Another neighbor who has lived in the area for 27 years wrote that Bourbon Street "was nothing compared to today's nonsense."
Residents also described secondary problems they say accompany the venue's busiest nights, including groups gathering around parked vehicles while blasting music, public intoxication, littering, public urination and late-night disturbances throughout the surrounding residential blocks.
One resident recounted catching a woman urinating in the walkway leading to a backyard, while others reported routinely finding empty liquor bottles and beer cans on their property.
Among the most detailed responses came from one neighborhood resident, who cited both the San Diego Municipal Code and operating conditions attached to Park & Rec's California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control license.
The resident noted that the city's noise ordinance prohibits amplified sound between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. when it is plainly audible at least 50 feet from its source or creates noticeable vibration. He also pointed to conditions on Park & Rec's ABC license that prohibit noise from being audible outside the licensed premises and limit recorded music on outdoor patios to 10 a.m. through 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and until midnight Thursday through Saturday.
The commenter said he measured sound levels between 62 and 68 decibels outside nearby residences but emphasized that the specific decibel reading was less important than the fact the music was "very loudly audible" from Adams Avenue around the corner onto surrounding residential streets and could be heard and felt inside neighboring homes with the windows closed.
He added that San Diego Police officers have recently monitored the area and reportedly issued several citations, although the nature of those citations has not been independently confirmed by SanDiegoVille.
The discussion took a surprising turn when Chad Owen entered the conversation identifying himself as the individual currently overseeing Park & Rec while an acquisition of the business is being pursued.
"I got sorta tossed into the bar while we're working through the acquisition process, with the intent to run it as it stood until I have full liability over the venue," Owen wrote.
"It's been interesting to say the least. In light of my experience and your comments, I am in coordination with the current owners, working to resolve a laundry list of issues inside and out of the venue, that should never have happened to begin with."
Owen apologized to neighbors, invited residents to contact him directly and said he wanted to work collaboratively with the community to address legitimate concerns.
"If anyone wants to speak with me directly, please do," he wrote. "I want to know your complaints, and I want to work with my neighbors to resolve our role in any nuisance."
According to Owen's LinkedIn profile, he has spent years in hospitality management, previously serving as General Manager and later Southern California Director of Operations for Pouring With Heart, the hospitality company behind several Southern California bars and restaurants. He now operates hospitality consulting company MyBarManager, where he advises bar and restaurant owners on operations, profitability, business turnarounds and acquisitions.
Some residents cautiously welcomed Owen's willingness to engage directly with neighbors but expressed skepticism that improvements would last without formal accountability.
"We've heard this before," Johnson wrote, adding that previous improvements were often temporary before conditions deteriorated again.
California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control records continue to list ELE Park Blvd L-PSHIP as the licensee for Park & Rec. As of August 5, the public license database showed no pending transfer application, escrow or notification despite Owen's statements that an acquisition is in progress.
Park & Rec opened in May 2015 after hospitality entrepreneur Carlo "John" Pani transformed the longtime Bourbon Street property into a sprawling indoor-outdoor cocktail venue centered around games, live entertainment and craft cocktails. Over the past decade, it has become one of University Heights' best-known nightlife destinations, while neighboring properties formerly operated by the same ownership group have included Johnston's, which closed after less than a year in business in 2023.
Whether Owen ultimately takes over operation of the business remains unclear, but his unusually direct engagement with frustrated residents represents the first public acknowledgment by someone involved in Park & Rec's operations that longstanding neighborhood complaints are being taken seriously.
SanDiegoVille has reached out to Park & Rec, Chad Owen and John Pani for additional comment regarding the neighborhood complaints, any planned operational changes, and the status of the reported acquisition process. This story will be updated if additional information becomes available.
Park & Rec is located at 4612 Park Boulevard in San Diego's University Heights neighborhood. For more information, visit parkandrecsd.com.
Originally published on August 6, 2026.
