479 Ridge Street: "Any Change Is a Huge Deal"

Some homeowners on Ridge Street NW do not want any houses on their block expanding.

(Google Street View)

That's the message the homeowners of 479 Ridge Street got when they presented a proposal to Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw on April 7. The homeowners sought ANC endorsement on the project before they presented the concept for a three-story rear addition to their two-story house to DC's Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB). The project requires HPRB approval because it is located in the Mount Vernon Square Historic District.

An architect and the homeowners presented to the ANC. They said the rear addition would not be visible from the street. They wanted a staircase off the back of the present building to lead up to a master bedroom suite. The homeowners plan to live in the house.

The proposed addition would bring the height of the building up to 27 feet -- below the 35 feet the homeowners are allowed "by right" under zoning regulations. Similarly, after the proposed renovations, the house would be under 60% lot occupancy, meaning, the footprint of the house would not require zoning relief.

Commissioner Rachelle Nigro (district 04) said she had to oppose the request "because of the possibility it can be seen from the street". 479 Ridge Street is in Nigro's ANC district.

Nigro said she had spoken to or received emails from five Ridge Street residents in favor of the project, and eight against. The people in favor of the project, she said, were people who were seeking or thinking of seeking expansions themselves. Those against the expansions were uniformly people who had no interest in expanding their own homes.

For this latter group, Nigro said: "Any change is a huge deal."

Because of the desires of her constituents, Nigro said, she would have to oppose the expansion.

Three Commissioners then spoke up in favor of allowing the expansion: Kevin Chapple (district 02), Frank Wiggins (district 03), and ANC6E Chair Marge Maceda (Commissioner for district 05). 

Since the project is in Nigro's district, she was allowed to make the first motion on the project. Nigro moved to oppose the project. The motion died for lack of a second. The Commissioner Alex Padro (district 01) moved to approve the project. Padro's motion passed, five to one, with Nigro the sole vote against.

This is the second request in two months from Ridge Street that followed the same pattern: protesting neighbors, Nigro proposes a motion but fails to get a second, and then approval from the full ANC with Nigro against.

At the previous meeting last month, a Ridge Street resident told a homeowner and resident who wanted a rear addition to their house to either keep the house as it is or find somewhere else to live -- see SALM blog post of March 6. That homeowner, too, got approval from the full ANC.

This matter is on the agenda for HPRB's next set of meetings, the first of which is scheduled to take place on Thursday, April 23, at the Board's meeting room at 441 4th Street, Room 220 South (Judiciary Square metro). If all of the items on the agenda are not address, there will be a further meeting on April 30.

Shaw ANC Protest for Joe Englert Bar near Dacha Beer Garden

Long-time DC restauranteur Joe Englert got a frosty reception for his proposed new tavern, Trinity, on Tuesday, April 7. Englert appeared before Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw to ask for endorsement of a new tavern license for the proposed operation at 1606 7th Street NW, two doors up from Dacha Beer Garden at 7th and Q Streets.

Blue building center right is 1606 7th Street

Englert told the ANC the tavern would be a "barbeque concept", serving from a food truck parked on the patio behind the main building. There will be DJs inside the establishment, so Englert is seeking an entertainment endorsement on his liquor license.

According a Notice of Public Hearing by DC's Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA), available here, Trinity will have a "[f]ull menu with ribs, pulled pork, turkey, and salads". It will have an inside capacity of 199 and outdoor space with capacity of 68. Trinity seeks to keep the interior portion of its operation open until 1:45am Sunday - Thursday, and 2:45am Friday and Saturday. The exterior portion would be allowed to stay open until 2am seven days a week, according to the application, but liquor service outside would end before midnight Sunday to Thursday, and just before 2am weekends.  Live entertainment would be permitted until 10pm, seven days a week.

Back-to-back with people's homes

1606 7th Street is back-to-back with a series of row houses that face 8th Street. They would be separated from Trinity's outside service by a narrow alley. ANC6E Commissioner Alex Padro (district 01) noted "significant concern" from these neighbors. The proposed tavern would be in Padro's district.

"We have families that live 10 feet from the back" of the proposed establishment, Padro said.

"The inside part, I welcome. It's the outside part that bothers me," one neighbor said.

"You need to make choices about what this is going to be," the same neighbor said.

"For us, it's a quality of life issue," said a representative of the Central Shaw Neighborhood Association. "Outdoor residential drinking space is a non-starter for some neighbors."

"We do largely welcome development in the neighborhood," she added.

Slightly odd ANC conversation

The conversation took some strange turns. Commissioner Rachelle Nigro (district 04) asked, if this application failed, and the next applicant wanted to open a "titty bar", would the neighbors object to that also? Nigro said that the neighbors could not "pick and choose" what type of businesses they liked in the neighborhood.

Other Commissioners openly disagreed.

Commissioner Kevin Chapple (district 02) said: "I can completely sympathize. You have a right to pick and choose."

Commissioner Frank Wiggins (district 03) also expressed solidarity: "I hear the cry of the neighbors."

Padro said he had served on ANCs for 15 years, and had never protested a liquor license. In this case, however, Padro (also chair of ANC6E's liquor-licensing affairs committee) said talks with Englert about the establishment and "what were the deal breakers" yielded no satisfactory conclusion.

The 800-pound gorilla in the room was the nearby Dacha Beer Garden (1600 7th Street). This establishment was mentioned in connection with the noise issue several times. When a speaker did so, the speaker usually felt it necessary to acknowledge the present applicant was not the Dacha Beer Garden, and any complaints about the behavior of the patrons of the Dacha Beer had no bearing on this application. Yet Dacha Beer Garden still seemed to be on everybody's mind.

Padro said when Dacha applied for a liquor license, they claimed their capacity was 129, but often "in reality" there were 400 people there.

"The noise is unbearable," Padro said.

Nigro noted some neighbors who had been before the ANC in support of Dacha a few years ago were now emailing and appearing against this bar's liquor license application.

Englert was present during the discussion but did not speak very often. He mentioned there was "many ways to attack noise", but he did not make any specific suggestions or promises.

Vote and next steps

The ANC voted to protest the liquor license application. The vote to protest was five to one -- the dissenting vote was from ANC6E Chair Marge Maceda (Commissioner for district 05).

The petition of protest by the ANC (and the neighbors, if they choose to act separately) have to be filed by April 27. Trinity's next scheduled ABRA hearing is scheduled for Monday, May 11, at ABRA's offices on the 4th floor of the Reeves Center (14th and U Streets).

Englert has opened over a dozen bars in the District. He is perhaps best known for many establishments on H Street NE, including The Rock and Roll Hotel and H Street Country Club. Englert operations in the Shaw/U Street area include DC9 and the now-closed State of the Union.

Read a 2012 Washingtonian magazine portrait of Englert here, which includes (near the end) some information about Englert's relations with ANCs on H Street NE.

(Photo credit: Google Street View)

Shaw Restaurant Wants Public Space, ANC Wants Security Cameras

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw endorsed a request for 50 seats of sidewalk seating for the Shaw branch of Beau Thai restaurant (550 7th Street NW, at the corner of P Street) at its regular monthly meeting on March 2. However, it included the stipulation that Beau Thai should install outdoor security cameras -- apparently not part of Beau Thai's plan or request.

Interior of Beau Thai Shaw (photo credit below)

Andrew Klein of Veritas Law Firm represented Beau Thai. He told ANC6E the request was for 750 square feet of unfenced sidewalk space with umbrellas. It is located on the P Street side of the mixed-use building where Beau Thai is located, between 7th Street and an alley. The space will close at 11am Sunday to Thursday evenings and midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Tables will be brought inside or secured once outdoor seating hours have passed.

The normal DC requirement for urban sidewalks is a ten-foot gap for pedestrians to pass between the edge of sidewalk space and the nearest obstruction -- in this case, a sidewalk tree box. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has the discretion to reduce it to as much as six feet.

In this case, Klein said: "We'll be asking them to reduce it to nine."

Klein told the ANC they had already received the necessary separate permission from DC's liquor licensing authorities to serve alcohol outdoors.

A Commissioner brought up the possibility of installing outdoor security camera, sighting the May 2013 case of a man to robbed two people sitting at the sidewalk patio of Pizzoli's Pizzeria (1418 12th Street NW) in Logan Circle. The establishments outdoor security camera caught the robbery, which led to the arrest and convicting of the hold-up man -- see SALM blog post of September 23, 2013.

"I'm sure [the owner] will consider it," Klein said.

The Commissioner said such camera were not expensive.

"Yes, they're only like about $200 apiece," said ANC6E chair Marge Maceda (Commissioner for district 05).

Commissioner Alexander Padro (district 01) made the motion to endorse the outdoor space request with the provision that security cameras be installed. The motion was approved unanimously, with two abstentions.

Beau Thai Shaw is in Padro's ANC district.

The initial liquor license for the Shaw branch of Beau Thai was the subject of an SALM blog post of September 18, 2014.

(Photo credit: the blog BadWolfDC. Used by permission.)

Shaw ANC Tries to Solve Persistent Liquor-Licensing Problem

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw is trying to develop a solution to a chronic city-wide liquor-licensing problem. The problem is: restaurants "morphing" into nightclubs late in the evenings, meaning, restaurant proprietors clear away the tables, turn up on the music, and serve mostly or completely alcohol into the wee hours of the morning. Fear of these stealth nightclubs is what drives many objectors to restaurant-category liquor licenses -- see, for example, the May 16, 2014, SALM blog post about a proposed Florida Avenue establishment.

(photo credit below)

In response, ANC6E, with the help of the liquor-licensing lawyers they deal with, has developed a new template for settlement agreements between the ANC and restaurant proprietors. These agreements often dictate to what hours a liquor licensee may operate, as well as where and when they can feature live or recorded music.

The ANC6E template allows the counter-parties to these agreements to feature live music on a limited number of occasions. They may have live music at all weekend brunches and New Year's Eve. In addition, they are allowed twelve private parties with live music every year. After that, they are allowed six further instances of private parties every year which must be applied for as a "one-day substantial change" to the liquor license at DC's liquor-licensing authorities.

DC liquor-licensing rules limit the number of one-day substantial changes for an establishment to six per year. They involve additional paperwork, often notarized, to file with DC liquor-licensing authorities, as well as an additional fee of up to $300 per instance, all of which is probably a sufficient deterrent to filing for one unless absolutely needed.

The advantages seem to be: the restaurants have the flexibility to feature music late weekend mornings (when late-night noise and rowdy behavior is not an issue) and host a limited number of wedding-related events, office parties, etc., without having to petition the ANC for each event. On the other hand, the ANC gets a guarantee that late-night music and dancing will not be a regular occurrence.

Most recently, ANC6E used this template to come to a settlement agreement with, and endorse the liquor license of, Ottoman Taverna (425 I Street NW, at the corner of 4th and I Streets). The endorsement came at ANC6E's last regularly-scheduled meeting on March 3. Attorney Steve O'Brien of Mallios & O'Brien represented the applicant and said that the existing template made it much easier to negotiate the new agreement.

"It took me three minutes to prepare this version," O'Brien said.

O'Brien also told the ANC the new establishment would have inside seating for 166 and planned a sidewalk cafe with a capacity of 74. Service would continue until 2am weekdays and 3am weekends inside, and 11pm weekdays and midnight weekends outside. There would be no recorded music outdoors.

ANC6E's liquor-licensing affairs committee had review and recommended approval of the settlement agreement and endorsement of the liquor-licensing application, and the full ANC voted unanimously in favor, with one abstention.

Ottoman Taverna will be the third establishment in the same block by restauranteur Hakan Ilhan, joining Alba Osteria (also 425 I Street NW) and L'Hommage (450 K Street). L'Hommage received its liquor license endorsement and signed a settlement agreement with ANC6E last month based on the same template -- see SALM blog post of February 12.

(photo credit: from sfweekly.com. Labelled for reuse on Google Images.)

"Either Stay in the Suburbs or Find Another Place to Live!"

CORRECTION (3/8/15): I listened to a recording of the meeting on ANC6E's Youtube channel after this blog post went live. The title is slightly inaccurate. The actual quote is: "Either stay in the suburbs or find another place in DC."

The owner of 440 Ridge Street NW needs zoning relief to expand her house back by 20 inches in the rear, and up in the rear by less than half a story. She eventually got Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw to endorse an application for zoning relief for lot occupancy at its regular monthly meeting on March 3, but first she had to endure some abuse from a neighbor.

440 Ridge Street (Google Street View)

Her architect, Catarina Ferreira of Archi-Textural, Pllc., that the plan to expand the house a been through "a few revisions" and trips to the DC bureaucracy. Substantial changes to the house have to be approved by DC's Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), because the building is located in the Mount Vernon Square Historic District. Most recently, a plan to add a third story seven feet in height, set back 16 feet from the front of the building, was passed by the HPRB with substantial modification, meaning the proposed roof addition had to be smaller and situated further to the rear of the building.

The HPRB decision occurred on January 29, 2015. See an unfavorable review of the project from HPRB staff, written before the January 29 meeting, here.

The owner of the building explained she had owned and lived in the building, and then moved to the suburbs after she got married and started a family. She retained ownership of the house and rented it out. Now, the owner said, the suburban traffic had grown intolerable, so she and her husband had made the decision to move back into the District with two children.

However, the house, which was built sometime before 1870, is a little cramped for a modern family of four. Therefore, they are attempting to expand it. Following the suggestions by HPRB, the architect and owner agreed on a plan that expands the building further back but not as far up -- a concept more likely to get historic preservation approval.

However, the 20-inch rear expansion will put the house over limit for percent of lot occupancy, so zoning relief is necessary.

The ANC had requested letters from the directly abutting neighbors saying they had no objection to the project, and also a written guarantee that work would not start before 8 am. The applicants supplied these.

ANC6E Commissioner Rachelle Nigro (district 04), in whose district the property is located, said that several neighbors had come to the meeting and wish to speak. They were allowed to do so.

One, who said he pushed for the historic district designation in 1998, expressed outright support for the expansion. Another remarked that the personal details of the family should not influence the decision, meaning, the zoning rules should be applied uniformly whether the applicant was a family or a developer.

The person who spoke the longest was against the application. She identified herself as a 37-year resident, and was later acknowledged to be a former Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner.

"I came to talk generally about how the neighborhood should be," she said.

The purpose of zoning, she said, was to maintain places for people to live. Ridge Street was one of the few places left in Shaw that people could afford. Now, people were coming and making the housing prohibitively expensive by building them out.

"Either stay in the suburbs or find another place to live," she said.

This remark created a commotion in the room. People shouted "Rude!" and "That's not nice!"

After the audience comments were finished, Commissioner Nigro made a motion that the ANC oppose the request for zoning relief, but it died for lack of a second.

Then Commissioner Alexander Padro (district 01) made a motion to support the request for zoning relief, which passed by a vote of 6 - 1. Nigro was the only vote against. 

New French Bistro in Mount Vernon Triangle Gets Liquor License Endorsement

At its regularly scheduled meeting February 3, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw endorsed the request for a liquor license by restauranteur Hakan Ilhan, who plans to open a French Bistro named "L'Hommage" at 450 K Street NW, across the street from the mixed-use City Vista building.

450 K Street in June 2014 (Google Street View)

Attorney Stephen J. O'Brien of the law firm Mallios & O'Brien introduced Ilhan as a person well known to the ANC and the community. Ilhan is the owner of the nearby Alba Osteria (425 I Street NW). ANC6E Chair Marge Maceda (Commissioner for district 05) suggested at the meeting that there might be a third restaurant from Illhan in the area soon.

L'Hommage will be in Maceda's ANC district.

The liquor license request had been examined by ANC6E's liquor-licensing affairs committee before the meeting. The parties had negotiated a settlement agreement, which was signed at the meeting and will become part of L'Hommage's liquor license. At the meeting, liquor-licensing committee chair Alexander Padro (Commissioner for district 01) said the applicants had agreed as part of the settlement agreement to close the 80-seat outdoor patio at midnight and also to limit the number of evenings in a year with live entertainment. This, Padro said, is to make it more difficult for L'Hommage to convert or evolve into a nightclub, as sometimes happens with restaurant-category liquor licensees in the downtown business district.

See an September 2014 from the Washington Business Journal about L'Hommage here.

Of the seven Commissioners, four voted in favor of the liquor license. There was one abstention and two Commissioners were absent.

ANC6E videos its meetings in their entirety and posts them on its YouTube channel. The discussion of the liquor license for L'Hommage can be seen by following this link to the first part of the February 3 meeting, starting at time 24:30.

Community Impact Statement against Shaw Heroin Dealer

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw voted unanimously February 3 to send a community impact statement in the case of Thomas Butler, who has pleaded guilty to charges including possession with both intent to distribute a controlled substance while armed as well as unlawful possession of a firearm.

Photo of DC Superior Court from its web site

The motion to send a community impact statement was made by Commissioner
Frank Wiggins (district 03). Wiggins said, at the time of his arrest, Butler had been carrying heroin, $10,000 in a bag, and more than one million dollars on his person. At the same time, Butler was in violation of a 2013 court order (resulting from an arrest for possession of a controlled substance) to stay away from the 1300 block of 5th Street in Shaw.

On January 13, Butler pleaded guilty to three felony counts, including those listed above. In return, two other felony counts will be dropped, as will two misdemeanor charges resulting from the 2013 arrest.

Butler will be sentenced by Associate Judge Juliet J. McKenna of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on March 6.

ANCs can file community impact statements detailing the negative effects of a criminal's activity in the community, in hope of getting a stiffer sentence. An example of a 2012 letter written by ANC6E against a convicted drug dealer is available here. 

The office of the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia has an explanation of community impact statements half-way down this page.

See the record of the felony case against Butler by going to the DC Superior Court's search tool here and entering case number 2014 CF2 017465 in the search bar on the upper right of the page. The to-be-dismissed misdemeanor charges from an earlier incident can be seen through the same search tool by entering case number 2013 CMD 18687.

Return of Ward Two Parking Permits for Ward Six Residents in Shaw

DC City Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward Six) has introduced legislation that will enable certain Ward Six residents in Shaw to get Ward Two parking passes. Allen told a meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw last night he was "working with" DC City Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward Two) on this matter.

Charles Allen at last night's meeting

This action fulfills a promise Allen made during last year's campaign -- see SALM blog post of June 6, 2014. Allen's promise to re-introduce the legislation came after a similar bill introduced by Allen's predecessor, Tommy Wells, went down to defeat against unified opposition in the DC Council.

Allen told the meeting he "wanted to make sure the neighborhood was connected" with Ward Two parking.

As far as parking elsewhere in Ward Six goes, Allen said: "Other parts of Ward Six doesn't do as much good."

Commissioner Rachelle Nigro (district 04) gave Allen some advice on how to get the legislation passed in the face of probable opposition from Evans.

"Don't work with Jack [Evans]. Work with the rest of the council."

Allen backed away from any suggestion he would not be fully cooperating with Evans.

"He is my colleague," Allen said.

"I need to respect that he is the Ward Two Councilmember," Allen said later.

Residents here want to park in Ward Two

Ward Two parking permits for Ward Six residents first became an issue in 2011, when a large section of Shaw was re-districted from Ward Two to Ward Six. The area is in question is bordered by New York Avenue NW in the south and (mostly) by New Jersey Avenue in the east. At some points, it extends as far as Florida Avenue in the north and 11th Street in the west -- see map.

Shaw residents fought a successful rear guard action for several years before action to change the street signs and residential parking requirements started last year. At the meeting last night, one audience member said the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) managed to miss one block near his home, which still enjoyed Ward Two parking privileges.

"DDOT has not done the greatest job," Allen said. "I've found them to make mistakes."

Other SALM blog posts on Ward Two parking for Shaw residents were published on May 14 and June 2, 2014.

At last night's meeting, Allen spoke on a number of other issues of concern to the neighborhood, and took questions from the audience. Allen emphasized his new "Books from Birth" initiative, and got several questions and comments from audience members who were eager to participate.

Marge Maceda Elected Chair of Shaw ANC

At its regular monthly meeting on January 6, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw elected a new slate of officers, headed by Commissioner Marge Maceda (district 05) as Chair. Maceda edged out incumbent ANC6E chair Alex Padro (district 01) by a vote of 4 to 3.

In turn, Padro narrowly defeated Commissioner Rachelle Nigro (district 04) for Vice-Chair, also by a 4 to 3 vote.

Commissioner Kevin Chapple (district 02) was elected Treasurer and newly-elected Commissioner Antonio Barnes (district 06) was elected Secretary. Both Chapple and Barnes were without opposition and approved unanimously.

The vote was held at the beginning of the meeting by former ANC Commissioner Lydia Goring. Maceda took over the gavel immediately and led the balance of the meeting. 

ANC6E's next scheduled meeting is February 3rd at the Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Library (1630 7th Street NW). No time has yet been announced on the ANC's web site, but ANC6E meetings often begin at 6:30pm.

200 Block of N Street: Discord over Parking

Two recent incidents along the 200 block of N Street NW illustrates how the fight for limited on-street parking space sets neighbor against neighbor.

"It's a bit of a sad situation for the 200 block of N Street," said Commissioner Rachelle Nigro (district 04), referring to the first of the two incidents described below.

(From the Facebook site of Commissioner Rachelle Nigro)

At the last meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw, a request for a dedicated on-street handicapped parking space for the resident of a single-family house at 216 N Street was discussed. The resident at 216 N Street apparently applied to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) for a designated handicapped parking space in front of her home. The space was granted. There was "negative feedback" from some neighbors. But it is too late to un-grant the handicapped parking space.

DDOT is supposed to notify ANCs of requests of this type. DDOT says it did so, specifically, that they mailed a letter on June 4. But, by the September 1 meeting, the ANC had never received any communication, paper or electronic, about the application for a handicapped parking space. A Commissioner said this was the second time communication concerning handicapped parking spaces did not reach the ANC.

ANC6E Chair Alexander Padro (Commissioner for district 01) expressed exasperation at DDOT's apparent inability to mail a letter so that it arrives at its intended destination.

"We get notices from the District government about proposed actions every day," he said.

Another Commissioner was skeptical about the letter's existence.

"Let us read the proof," said Commissioner Marge Maceda (district 05). "We have never received this."

The ANC passed a motion to send a letter to DDOT telling them their letters do not arrive at their intended destination.

ANC6E videos its meetings in their entirety and post them on its YouTube channel in 30-minute segments, but the section of the meeting which contained the discussion of this topic was missing from the channel at the time of this writing.

There was also some discussion at the meeting because the property was apparently listed as for sale on the real estate web site Zillow. However, on the same day as the ANC meeting, the listing was removed from Zillow, although the attendees of the meeting apparently didn't know it.

The asking price for the property was $1.3 million.

The second parking dispute occurred in August, according to information from the Facebook site of Commissioner Nigro. On August 7 and 8, there was a two-day teacher development event at nearby Dunbar High School (101 N Street). Apparently someone at DC public schools issued several official-looking "parking permits" (see above) in the name of the Office of the Deputy Chancellor Institute of DC Public Schools. The permits claimed it allowed the bearer to park in "the two-hour restricted zone" (i.e., on-street parking for residents) while the development event took place.

As Commissioner Nigro pointed out in a Facebook comment, DC public schools are not authorized to issue on-street parking permits, and there apparently was some confusion about who exacting authorized and produced the "permits".

Nigro also wrote on Facebook that she had asked for an explanation from various parts of the DC government about the incident, but as of this writing had not posted any response.

Beau Thai Liquor License: How Early is Too Early?

At its regular monthly meeting September 1, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6E/Shaw voted to endorse the application for a liquor license for the new branch of Beau Thai. The restaurant will be located in the new Jefferson MarketPlace development at 1550 7th Street NW. It is moving from its current location at 1700 New Jersey Avenue NW, at R Street, also in Shaw.

Beau Thai's future home earlier this year (photo credit below)

Steven Whalen of Veritas Law Firm presented for the management of Beau Thai. Whalen said the restaurant will have 99 seats and a total occupancy of 120. There will be a 24-seat outdoor cafe.

Beau Thai will be located in ANC6E district 01. ANC6E Chair Alexander Padro is the Commissioner for that district. Representing the ANC, Padro and Beau Thai have signed a "settlement agreement", which at the time of the meeting was pending approval by DC liquor-licensing authorities. Padro characterized the agreement as "standard".

As a result, the permitted operating hours of the new restaurant will be the same or similar to its neighbors. For example, the outside patio will normally open at 11am. It will stay open until 10:30pm weekdays, and until 11pm weekends. There will be no live music. The inside hours of operation will be the maximum normally allowed by DC law, that is, until 2am weekdays and 3am weekends.

The settlement agreement also allows alcohol consumption at 8am. A neighbor noted this detail at the meeting. She had observed it on the mandatory liquor licensing placard on the future site of the restaurant.

She called this "much, much too early in the a.m."

"If we don't have enough alcoholics, we will have enough alcoholics," she said. "That's like an invitation."

There followed a long discussion in which the neighbor attempted unsuccessfully to get the morning hours reduced. Whalen repeated there was no intention to serve alcohol early in the morning on a regular basis, but the restaurant wished to leave its options open in case it decided, for example, to serve brunch.

Commissioner Rachelle Nigro (district 04) asked if it was possible to amend the signed agreement so that liquor service could not start until 10:30 or 11am, "whenever normal lunchtime is". Whalen and Padro were dead-set against it.

"We already have an agreement negotiated. I would not support any changes to it," Padro said.

Nigro said there was a "neighborhood concern" about the hours.

Padro said one person (i.e., the person protesting at the meeting) "was not a neighborhood concern".

"I'm not the only person who's concerned about this," the neighbor said.

Padro directed the neighbor to bring up her concern at the ABRA hearing about the liquor license. The neighbor promised to do so.

Nigro recommended that the neighbor sit down with the restaurant owner first.

The neighbor said she would "follow through on that".

The vote on Padro's motion to endorse the liquor license request was 5 to 2. The two "no" votes were Commissioners Frank Wiggins (district 03) and Marge Maceda (district 05).

ANC6E records its meeting in their entirety and posts them in half-hour chunks on its YouTube channel. One of the half-hour chunks (part two of five) -- during which part of the discussion above took place -- was missing when I last looked. However, most of the discussion above can be viewed on part three of five, starting at the beginning of the video, here.

See previous coverage of the Beau Thai's infra-Shaw move from the blogs BadWolf DC here and Popville here.

Beau Thai has another branch in Mount Pleasant.

(Photo credit: BadWolf DC. Used by permission.)

1534 5th Street: Owner Has a Driveway but Can't Get a Curb Cut

At its regular monthly meeting September 2, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw voted unanimously to oppose a curb cut in the middle of the 1500 block of 5th Street NW in Shaw, between P and Q Streets. A curb cut would reduce on-street parking on the block by at least two spaces.

1534 5th Street in July

"Parking is such a huge problem on this block and there's no other property that has a curb cut," said Commissioner Kevin Chapple (district 02). Chapple made the motion to oppose the curb cut.

The proposed curb cut would be in front of 1534 5th Street, which is in Chapple's district.

Abraham Soquar came before the ANC to plead his case. He is a newcomer to the neighborhood, and is building a three-and-a-half story semi-detached row house on the formerly empty lot. He talked about when he first saw the lot.

"When I passed by," Soquar said, "people would throw rubbish there, have homeless people living there, and so on."

He said the house, which is currently under construction, is his "first project" and he is hoping to live there. It has space for a driveway on the north side of the property, but there is no rear alley or other way for a vehicle to park there.

Soquar said the completed house would be "more of a sightly place and a better benefit to the street."

Soquar had a letter of support from one of his immediate neighbors, but many of the people in the area were opposed to the curb cut.

"I have received many, many other notices from my constituents that they are opposed to the curb cut," Chappell said.

Other than the next-door neighbor, Chappell said: "Everybody else who has contacted me -- and I've contacted -- are opposed to it because it would put added stress on everyone else..."

Shaw activist and neighbor Martin Moulton spoke briefly against the curb cut. Moulton said he had lived in the neighborhood for 14 years and had never seen homeless people camping out on the property when it was vacant. However, he conceded: "It was sort of a blight."

Moulton said there had been "at least three or four ground-up constructions" in the same block and "no one has received a curb cut."

"It's totally out of character with the types of blocks we live on," Moulton said.

Soquar had hoped to get ANC endorsement before a District Department of Transportation (DDOT) hearing scheduled for later this month. Curb cuts are the responsibility of the DDOT.

The proposed curb cut at 1534 5th Street was the subject of the SALM blog post of July 16.

ANC6E videos its monthly meetings in their entirety and posts them in half-hour segment on YouTube. See ANC6E's YouTube channel here. The discussion of the curb cut for 1534 5th Street can be on seen here, starting at time 24:10.

Liquor License for Celebrity Chef Cedric Maupillier at City Market at O

At its regular monthly meeting September 2, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw unanimously endorsed the request for a restaurant-category liquor license for Convival, the new restaurant by celebrity chef Cedric Maupillier. The restaurant will open at City Market at O, at the corner of 8th and O Streets NW)

City Market at O (image credit below)

Restaurateur and co-owner Saied Azali appeared before ANC6E to support the request.

Azali told ANC6E Maupillier was a long-time fixture on the DC restaurant scene, working first at Central (1001 Pennsylvania Avenue) and the now-closed Citronelle. Azali and Maupillier are currently co-owners of the highly-praised Mintwood (1813 Columbia Road). In 2013, Maupillier was nominated Best New Chef by Food and Wine Magazine and also won a James Beard Award.

Azali told the ANC that one-quarter of the area of the restaurant will be devoted to the kitchen and "the emphasis is on food", including affordable "health food" (including vegan) and "portion control". The restaurant will have an outdoor serving area.

Azali said Convival will be the first restaurant that Maupillier owns, although online information says that Maupillier co-owns Mintwood with Azali.

ANC6E Chair Alexander Padro (Commissioner for district 01) said a standard settlement agreement for the area had been negotiated with the owners of Convival. This included standard stipulations for the outdoor area, i.e., that there would be no music played and outdoor service would end at midnight.

The restaurant will be Padro's ANC district.

Azali also said there would be underground parking below the nearby Giant supermarket for clients with cars, but the restaurant wish to be primarily a neighborhood place that people could walk to.

"Neighbors are the most important thing for us," Azali said.

Convival has previously been reported on by Washingtonian magazine and blog BadWolf DC.

The liquor-license request will now move on to DC's Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) for final approval.

(image credit: citymarketato.blogspot.com, image marked as "labelled for reuse" on Google Image search)

Spotted in the Wild: Historic Preservation Placarding

The first example -- that I have seen -- of public placarding of a pending historic preservation case has appeared on a house at 1518 8th Street NW in Shaw.

The placard (see photo left) gives the case number, the applicant name, and a very brief description (five words, in this case) of the project.

DC's Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) announced in March that a one-year "trial run" of the placarding requirement would begin at the end of April -- see SALM blog post of March 28. At that time, an HPRB representative said the placards would resemble the orange placards required on properties that were getting a hearing before DC's Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA).

However, there are some differences. BZA placards give the scheduled date and time of the hearing where the property will be discussed. HPRB's placard states that "[t]his project may be scheduled for an upcoming public hearing", without giving an indication of when that might be.

BZA placards also show more detail concerning the nature of the zoning-related request.

For those interested in further information, the placard has a shortened URL (tinyurl.com/887zoy8). This URL, the placard says, will allow the viewer to know the name and contact information of the person assigned to this case, and information about upcoming public meetings. This URL leads to HPRB's home page. There are no instructions on HPRB's home page that might allow a lay person to easily figure out who is the person assigned to this case, or to find out if, or when, the case will be the subject of a public hearing.

The placard also says project plans are not available on line. Interested parties must phone or write, or come down to the office during regular business hours.

1518 8th Street is located in the Shaw Historic District. It is also located in district 01 of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw. ANC6E has a meeting scheduled for tonight, Tuesday, September 2. Zoning relief for several nearby properties is on the agenda for tonight, but the historic preservation request for this property is not on the agenda for tonight's meeting.

Publicly-available information shows that 1518 8th Street was built in 1900 and was sold for $890,000 in November 2012.

Should Churches or Private Businesses Receive ANC Grant Money?

Martin Moulton, a Shaw community activist, is shopping an idea to Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs). The idea is that ANC grant funds should be used to help local organizations -- especially churches and businesses -- install outward-facing security cameras on their buildings. The security camera footage could be of use to police when crimes take place in the vicinity.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So far, Moulton has attempted to interest ANC 2F/Logan Circle and 6E/Shaw in the idea. He has prepared a model grant form. But he cannot get the ANCs to commit to even considering the applications, because the grant application process is designed to benefit non-profit community groups and secular organizations only.

ANC2F Commissioner Peter Lallas (distrcit 01) brought up Moulton's proposal at the ANC's last regular monthly meeting on August 7. (Lallas is chair of ANC2F's Crime and Public Safety Committee.)

ANC grants are supposed to be for projects that produce a public benefit. It was agreed at the meeting there could be sufficient public benefit to security cameras that monitored public spaces, no matter where they were located.

However, ANC2F must first change its bylaws, because as presently written a church or a private business might not quality. The by-laws say that ANC2F "may approve grants only to citizens groups that are public in nature".

It was argued at the meeting that churches are public in nature, because anyone can walk into a church.

Gottlieb Simon of DC's Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions was present at the August 7 meeting. He confirmed the obvious fact that grant money could not be used to further religious activity. Outward-facing security cameras, however, were not a religious activity, so could be funded with ANC money, Simon said.

However, it was clear that private businesses could not, under any circumstances, qualify for a grant under the by-laws as they are currently written. Changing ANC2F's bylaws was discussed, but no proposal was put forward at the meeting.

Moulton told ANC2F he had not shopped the proposal to any area businesses yet, but would like to be in the position where he could.

ANC6E has also discussed this matter at a previous meeting but has not moved forward with a grant.

The discussion above is mentioned briefly in the summary of the meeting on ANC2F's web site here.

50% of Commissioners Running Unopposed in U Street, Dupont

12/16/14 NOTE: I have removed the name of the candidate who dropped out of the race for ANC1B district 10 per the candidate's request.

Half of the candidates for Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) seats in the 1B/U Street and 2B/Dupont Circle districts will be unopposed in November. Of the seven seats in ANC 6E/Shaw, only one district will have an unopposed candidate on the ballot.

On Friday (August 8), DC Board of Elections and Ethics (DCBOEE) released a list of candidates who had successfully filed petitions with 25 signatures or more. There will be a 10-day challenge period, during which registered DC voters can question the validity of the signatures that a prospective candidate has collected. DCBOEE will investigate signatures on a petition only if a registered voter files a challenge. Otherwise, it is assumed the signatures on the petitions are valid.

Below are the lists of candidates in ANCs 1B, 2B, and 6E, by district:

ANC 1B/U Street:

01: Brian Footer
02: Jennie Nevin, Ellen Nedrow Sullivan
03: Sedrick Muhammed (incumbent), Patrick Nelson
04: Kevin Cain
05: Nicholas Ferreyos
06: Dyana Forrester (incumbent), David Gilliard
07: Juan Lopez (incumbent), Jessica Laura Smith
08: Mark Ranslem (incumbent)
09: James Turner (incumbent, ANC Chair)
10: Allyson Carpenter (incumbent), [name removed per candidate's request]
11: Robb Hudson
12: Matt Abbruzzese, John Green

ANC 2B/Dupont Circle:

01: Mike Feldstein (incumbent)
02: Jonathan Padget, Daniel Warwick
03: Stephanie Maltz (incumbent)
04: Michael Upright
05: Jonathan Jagoda, Abigail Nichols (incumbent)
06: Mike Silverstein (incumbent)
07: Justine Underhill
08: Allison Fitzsimmons, Nicole Mann, Robert Sinners
09: Edward Hanlon, Noah Smith (incumbent)

ANC 6E/Shaw:

01: Alexander Padro (incumbent, ANC Chair), Mary Sutherland
02: Kevin Chapple (incumbent), Eugene Simms, Leroy Joseph Thorpe Jr
03: Kennith James, Frank Wiggins (incumbent)
04: Clyde Brown, Rachelle Nigro (incumbent)
05: Marge Maceda (incumbent)
06: Antonio Barnes, Alvin Judd (incumbent)
07: Alfreda Judd (incumbent), Rosemary Segero

If you are a candidate and I missed your website, or if you wish me to link to website other than the one above, please email me at shortarticlesaboutlongmeetings at gmail and I will change the link.

Don't know your ANC district? There are two search tools: one by the DC government, the other by Code for DC.

See here for a separate post about the candidates for ANC 2F/Logan Circle.

Aspiring ANC Candidates Start the Process

On 15 July, the DC Board of Election and Ethics (DCBOEE) released a list of people who had picked up (and, in a few cases, had already returned) nomination papers for Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC). Below is information from the document about races in the ANCs I usually report on, occasionally supplemented by announcements, online information, and/or gossip I have heard at meetings.

Don't know your ANC district? There are two search tools: one by the DC government, the other by Code for DC.

According to tweets on July 21 by ANC2B Commissioner Stephanie Maltz, 240 candidates city-wide have picked up petitions. Of these, 121 are incumbents, 119 not. More than one-third of all ANC districts (109) have no candidates yet.

ANC 1B/U Street

Sitting commissioners who have picked up nominating papers for re-election: Deborah Thomas (district 04), Juan Lopez (07), Mark Ranslem (08), ANC1B Chair James Turner (09), Allyson Carpenter (10).

Sitting commissioners who have announced at public meetings they will not run for re-election: Ricardo Reinoso (05), Zahra Jilani (12).

At an ANC1B committee meeting, someone said that Commissioner E. Gail Anderson Holness (11) would not run for re-election.

Commissioner Marc Morgan (01) is seeking an At-Large seat on the DC City Council. I don't know if he is allowed to run for re-election at the same time. I suspect not. 

Non-commissioners who have picked up nominating petition for ANC1B seats, by district:

• 01: Brian Footer
• 03: Patrick Nelson
• 07: Jessica Laura Smith
• 11: Amanda Bonam, Robb Hudson
• 12: Matt Abbruzzese, John C. Green

ANC 2B/Dupont Circle

Sitting commissioners who have picked up nominating papers for re-election: Stephanie Maltz (03), Abigail Nichols (05), Mike Silverstein (06), Leo Dwyer (07), and Noah Smith (09).

It took Nichols two days to collect sufficient signatures and file them. The DCBOEE clerk told Nichols she was the first filer, Nichols said in an email.

Commissioner Kishan Putta (04) is running for an At-Large seat on the DC City Council. He announced at an ANC2B monthly meeting he is not running for re-election to the ANC.

Non-commissioners who have picked up nominating petition for ANC2B seats, by district:

• 02: Daniel Warwick
• 04: Michael Upright
• 05: Jonathan Jagoda
• 07: Holly L. Biglow, Justin Underhill (see note below)
• 08: Allison Fitzsimmons

Note: "Justin Underhill" may be a misprint in the original document. A woman named "Justine Underhill" is active in a group in the district called "Neighbors of St. Thomas Church DC", which opposed the development of a multi-story residential unit and an expanded church.

ANC 2F/Logan Circle

Sitting commissioner who has picked up nominating papers for re-election: John Fanning (04).

Commission Walt Cain (02) announced at the last ANC2F meeting that he would not be running for re-election, according to a summary of the meeting on the ANC's web site.

Non-commissioners who have picked up nominating petition for ANC2f seats, by district:

• 01: Michael Forster, Katherine Gordon
• 06: Danielle W. Pierce

ANC 6E/Shaw

Sitting commissioners who have picked up nominating papers for re-election: ANC6E Chair Alexander Padro (01), Rachelle Nigro (04), Marge Maceda (05).

Non-commissioners who have picked up nominating petition for ANC6E seats, by district:

• 02: Eugene Simms
• 04: Clyde H. Brown

See the full list (seven-page .pdf) from the DCBOEE web site of all people who have picked up nominating petitions for ANC Commissioner here.

1740 NJ Ave: Trust Everybody, But Cut the Cards

An attorney told Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw July 1 that there was no reason to vote against her project, because she would immediately ask for a postponement of the planned zoning hearing. But ANC6E voted to oppose the project anyway.

The property from across Rhode Island Avenue

Attorney Meredith Mouldenhauer of Griffin, Murphy, Moldenhauer & Wiggins, LLP appeared before the ANC as part of a team with developer Jimmy Edgerton of Newton Street Development 3, LLC. The team aims to develop a property at 1740 New Jersey Avenue NW, a wedge-shaped piece of land at the intersection of Rhode Island Avenue and S Street, which has been vacant from at least 2011. The house on the property now is in poor condition. The current aim of the developers is to build a single-family home and an eight-unit condo on the property.

The single-family home can be built "by right", meaning, without asking for any zoning relief. But the eight-unit condo needs zoning variances for several reasons, including lot occupancy and parking. The existing building is not zoning-compliant because it covers 100% of the lot, and because it has no parking. ANC endorsement for these variance requests will help it move more smoothly through DC's Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA).

From remarks made at the meeting, it is clear that the developers and the ANC have been negotiating for quite some time about this project. There still has not been a meeting of the minds. The developers won't go below eight units; the ANC won't agree to eight units.

"I have been talking to the developers for months now and I have expressed strong opposition to their plans," said Commissioner Kevin Chapple (district 02).

The proposed development in Chapple's district, and he lives three houses down from 1740 New Jersey Avenue.

"Everyone that I've spoken to in my district is against such a dense unit at this location," he said.

When it became clear that Chapple was dead-set against the plan and the most of the ANC would probably vote with him, Mouldenhauer backtracked and promised to ask the BZA for a postponement of their hearing. But Chapple was not inclined to let the matter rest at that.

"We'd have to take your word for it," he said, about Moldenhauer's promise to ask for a postponement. 

There was some consternation in the audience that someone would not take an attorney at her word.

"She's a member of the bar!" exclaimed an attorney sitting next to me.

It was also mentioned that, if Mouldenhauer went back on her word now, she would never get another favorable hearing before the ANC again.

But Chappell seemed to want to be better safe than sorry, and put forward a motion to oppose the zoning variances. It passed 6-1. The lone vote against was Commissioner Marge Maceda (district 05).

After the vote ANC6E chair Alexander Padro (commissioner for district 01) said: "We welcome the opportunity to continue to work with you. We just wanted to have a placeholder to express our concerns, so you'd understand where we were coming from."

Online information indicates this property was sold in December 2013 for $775,000.

The blog District Source has also written about this case.

The documents related to this case can be examined by going to the BZA's Interactive Zoning Information System and putting case number 18794 into the search bar. A request to postpone the BZA hearing until September has been recently added to the file.

The remark "Trust everybody, but cut the cards" is attributed to American humorist Finley Peter Dunne.

1532-34 5th Street: "It Looks Like They're Planning to Do Something Illegal"

The request for a curb cut at 1532-34 5th Street NW, mid-block between P and Q Streets, was on the agenda for the July 1 meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw, and it was taken off. But the matter was discussed at the meeting anyway.

The property at the end of June

Commissioner Kevin Chapple (district 02) told the audience that developer, who is building a new house on the empty lot at that address, realized he would not get ANC support for the curb cut.

"He asked for a postponement to talk to the neighbors to try to convince them or to garner some support for the project before he came to the ANC," Chapple said.

The property on July 14

The audience was skeptical. A neighbor said that the developer was already building a driveway on the property, curb cut or no.

"Why are they spending all this money to do construction? If they know they don't have support but they're building a driveway, I think to me it looks like they're planning to do something illegal," the neighbor said.

Chappel told the neighbor the ANC could weigh in on the curb cut, which is on public land, but not on what an owner constructs, by right, on his or her own property.

"If someone wants to put a driveway on their property, we can't stop them," Chappel said.

The neighbor said the contractor had visited him to disclose plans to start construction. Since then, though, there had been problems when excavation of the property caused the neighbor's fence to fall into the excavated space. The neighbor wanted his property restored to its original condition.

There were promises made to contact the DC building inspector's office to see if anything could be done. Getting a stop work order was mentioned. But construction appears to be continuing (see photos).

The matter of the curb cut will be considered by an ANC6E committee. ANC6E has not, until now, published on its web site the times and places of their committee meetings.

After that, ANC6E is tentatively scheduled to be on the agenda of the next meeting in September. The ANC's recommendation will then go to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), which has final authority.

Online records indicate the empty lot was sold for $375,000 in October 2013.

ANC6E posts its meeting in their entirety on its YouTube channel. This meeting is posted in five parts.  The discussion mentioned above can be viewed by following this link to part four. The discussion starts at time 29:20, and continues on through the beginning of part five.

In the 9th Inning of the Gray Administration, the Score: Deputy Mayor 11, ANCs 0

"It's important to remember that our recommendation is only that," said Alexander Padro, Chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6E/Shaw at the last regular monthly meeting on July 1.

"The Deputy Mayor in this administration has frequently ignored the
recommendation from Advisory Neighborhood Commissions. I've been tracking eleven of them in the Gray administration and zero for eleven have actually gone to the bidders that had the support of the ANCs," Padro said.

The 8th and O parking lot and the church (left)

Padro (also commissioner for district 01) made his remarks about the DC Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) directly after the ANC voted to recommend the plan of Four Points LLC to develop a plot of land at 8th and O Streets NW. The land is currently the site of a church parking lot.

Five of the seven members of ANC6E attended a community meeting on the 8th and O development the previous evening, June 30, where they saw full presentations by the four contenders for DMPED permission to develop the land: Four Points, A & R Development, Madison Investments, and Roadside Development. All four did an abbreviated version of the presentation at the ANC6E meeting.

The winner of ANC endorsement had a very different proposal from the others, because Four Points LLC is also aiming to buy -- in a separate transaction -- the property next door, the Scripture Cathedral Church, and then unite the properties in a single building with 172 rental units and 11,400 square feet of retail space.

It was reported at the ANC meeting that the Scripture Cathedral Church is moving all its operations to its Maryland campus in Landover.

Details and artists' renderings of the four proposals as they appeared at the June 30 community meeting were reported on the real estate blog Urban Turf here.

A report on ANC6E's decision to choose the plan of Four Points LLC appeared on the blog District Source here.

ANC6E videos their meetings in their entirety and post them on its YouTube channel. See Padro make the remarks quoted above on video 00061 here, at time 28:30.

The entire June 30 community meeting on this property can also be viewed on ANC6E's YouTube channel.