ANC1B Achieves Quorum, Votes on Liquor License Matters

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street achieved a quorum last night (August 7) and engaged in a variety of routine business.

10 of 12 ANC Commissioners in attendance

A quorum was achieved at 7:20pm, 20 minutes after the announced start of the meeting, when Commissioner Marc Morgan (district 01) joined Commissioners Sedrick Mohammed (03), Dyana Forester (06), Mark Ranslem (08), ANC Chair James Turner (09), Allyson Carpenter (10), and Zahra Jilani (12). Within 25 minutes, they were joined by Commissioners Ricardo Reinoso (05), Juan Lopez (07), and E. Gail Anderson Holness (11).

Commissioners Jeremy Leffler (02) and Deborah Thomas (04) did not attend the meeting.

ANC Chair Turner said Leffler had moved out of the district but had not yet officially resigned his seat, so he still had to be counted toward a quorum.

ANC1B attempted to meet twice last month -- on July 10th and July 17th -- but could not muster enough commissioners for a quorum either time. 

As a result, the ANC was not able to officially register its planned protest against a renewal of the liquor license of Signature Lounge (1920 9th Street NW).

However, it was reported at the meeting that the ANC was able to officially protest the liquor license of New Town Kitchen & Bar (1336 U Street), even though the ANC failed to vote on the matter last month. ANC1B had voted to protest the liquor license a year ago, but the process had had administrative delays. DC's liquor licensing authorities accepted ANC1B's year-old protest as still valid.

ANC1B's attempts to protest the liquor licenses of Signature Lounge and New Town Kitchen & Bar were the subject of a July 23 article in Washington City Paper.

The ANC also voted unanimously on the following liquor-license related matters:

• approval of a settlement agreement with Cloud Lounge (1919 9th Street) and M&I LLC (as-yet-unnamed establishment at 637 Florida Avenue)
• endorsement of liquor license application for Hamiltonian Gallery (1353 U Street)
• protest a liquor-license application for Merkato (1909 9th Street) on the basis of peace, order, and quiet. There have been many community complaints about Merkato, the contact phone number is disconnected, and the establishment has just this week been cited by DC authorities for operating outside of business hours. 
• grant a stipulated liquor license to Right Proper Brewery so it may serve alcohol on their outside patio while waiting for their official paperwork for a permanent license.

The meeting took place in the basement of the Walker Memorial Baptist Church (2020 13th Street). ANC1B's next scheduled meeting is on Thursday, September 4. The location has not yet been announced.