Borderstan » Politics & Government

ABC Board Hearing on 14th and U Moratorium: Hints of a “No”?

David McAuley — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

From David McAuley. Email him at david[AT]borderstan.com. How much significance can you put into questions and remarks by government officials at a public hearing? That's the big question as DC's Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Board held its public hearing about the proposed 14th and U Liquor License Moratorium yesterday afternoon, May 22, at the stifling and sweaty Reeves Center (14th and U Streets NW). The familiar forces repeated their arguments for and against the proposal, with moratorium petitioner Shaw Dupont Citizens Alliance joined by its friends and supporters on one side, and representatives of the four Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) that had voted against the moratorium, and their supporters, on the other. Members of the ABC Board posed questions and made statements to local residents testifying about the proposed moratorium. Like reporters observing Supreme Court Justices questioning lawyers about Obamacare, observers were left to wonder how much the Board members' questions foreshadowed its future decision. ABC Board chair Ruthanne Miller and Board member Mike Silverstein are representatives of Wards 3 and 2, respectively, on the seven-member board. Questions and statements made by these members indicated they were not immediately ready to approve a new moratorium. However, the two other attending members of the board — Donald Brooks (Ward 1) and Nick Alberti (Ward 6) — did not participate as actively in the discussions, giving no clue to their inclinations.

Skeptical on Non-liquor Business Crowd-Out

For example, several supporters of the moratorium said the proliferation of bars and restaurants in the U Street area was driving out other types of business. In reply, Miller said she knew the neighborhood had furniture stores, pharmacies, and many other types of businesses. “Lots of your neighbors would love to have what you have,” Miller said. Addressing the same point, Silverstein said, “There are going to be economic dislocations no matter what you do.”

ABC Board Improvements

During testimony, a moratorium advocate remarked ANC 2B/Dupont's anti-moratorium resolution had criticized the ABC Board's administrative branch, the Alcoholic Beverage Regulatory Agency, and called for greater transparency. This seemed an attempt to place moratorium advocates and the ABC Board on the same sides of the argument, arrayed against ANC 2B and moratorium opponents. Miller had the resolution found and the relevant portions read. At the end, she said, “Is that all? I'd like to see ways in which the ABC can be improved.”

Silverstein: Popular on Twitter

At another time, according to Twitter, Silverstein said the U Street neighborhood had said the moratorium “seems to come out of the factory of bad ideas”. Another Twitter post noted that Silverstein had called U Street “a place the US President can take the President of France” for a chili dog. In the same breath, however, Silverstein also characterized U Street as a place where someone can throw up on your shoes, according to another Twitter post.

Last Chance for Public Comment

There is still time to submit written comments according to an ABC Board announcement: “If you are unable to testify and wish to comment, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Copies of written statements must be submitted to the Office of the General Counsel, Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, 2000 14th Street NW, Suite 400 South, Washington, D.C. 20009, no later than 4 pm on Friday, May 24, 2013.” Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.

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Opinion Divided at Dupont East Liquor License Moratorium Hearing

David McAuley — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:00:02 +0000

From David McAuley. Email him at david[AT]borderstan.com. Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont listened to the attendees divide evenly for and against extending the Dupont East liquor license moratorium. More than 30 members of the public attended the listening session at the Chastleton Ballroom on 16th Street last night. Of these, I counted 12 people speaking in favor of continuing the liquor license moratorium in some shape or form. Eleven people urged ANC 2B to allow the liquor license moratorium to lapse.

Length of Residency

Opinion about the moratorium generally seemed to correspond to length of residency in or near the moratorium zone. Several long-term residents spoke in favor of extending the moratorium. Newer arrivals more frequently urged ANC Commissioners to let the moratorium expire. This moratorium is also known as the 17th Street moratorium, and includes most of 17th Street between P and S Streets NW. It is set to expire on September 23 and has been in effect for 23 years. The most recent renewal of the Dupont East moratorium occurred in 2010. DC's Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board will ultimately decide the fate of the moratorium. It may extend the moratorium, allow it to lapse, or modify it. Groups of individuals and civic groups, independently of the ANC, can petition the ABC Board to have it extended. However, the ABC Board is legally bound to give an ANC opinion “great weight.” ANC 2B seems to be aiming to have a resolution prepared for ABC Board consideration before the expiration of the current moratorium.

A Restaurant Compromise?

There was one compromise that seemed to have some traction at the meeting. This was to continue a moratorium on tavern liquor licenses, but to lift the moratorium on restaurant liquor licenses. Commissioner Kevin O'Connor, 2B-02, first brought this idea up. O'Connor is the chair of ANC 2B liquor licensing affairs committee. He mentioned recent work by ANC 2B to modify the Dupont West (a.k.a. “P Street”) liquor license moratorium (document here) to allow unlimited liquor licenses for restaurants. Subsequently, some partisans in both the pro- and anti-moratorium camps mentioned this as a minimally-acceptable alternative to their favored point of view. Both sides claimed large numbers of non-attending supporters. Those speaking against the moratorium cited a petition containing more than 400 signatures of local residents collected at the time of the 2009 renewal. Pro-moratorium advocates claimed they spoke for the “silent majority” of the neighborhood.

Second Listening Session June 24

Commissioners repeated their timetable for Dupont East liquor license moratorium work. It is unchanged. Local residents will have another chance to comment at a second listening session at the Chastleton Ballroom on Monday, June 24, at 7 pm. Representatives of the police and DC's liquor licensing agency have been invited to give input at this meeting. On Wednesday, August 7, ANC 2B's liquor licensing affairs committee will publicly present its a draft proposal for the first time. The full ANC will consider the committee's proposal at its monthly meeting on Wednesday, August 14. In response to an attendee's suggestion, ANC 2B has pledged to set up a dedicated email address for residents who wish to comment on the Dupont East moratorium but cannot make it to the listening sessions. Other ANC 2B Commissioners in attendance were Stephanie Maltz, 2B-03, Kishan Putta, 2B-04, Abigail Nichols, 2B-05, Leo Dwyer, 2B-07, and Noah Smith, 2B-09. Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.

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Dupont East Liquor License Moratorium Listening Session Tonight

David McAuley — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:39 +0000

From David McAuley. Email him at david[AT]borderstan.com. Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont will listen to local residents' comments about the Dupont East Liquor License Moratorium tonight, May 21, at 7 pm. Members of ANC 2B's Alcohol Beverage Control Adminstration (ABRA) Policy Committee is sponsoring the meeting. It will be in the ground-floor ballroom of the Chastleton (1701 16th Street NW, between R and S Streets). This moratorium zone includes most of 17th Street between P and S Streets, and will expire on September 23. After public hearings, ANC 2B will make a recommendation to DC's Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board concerning the further extension of the moratorium zone. The ABC Board will then make the final decision. The ABC Board is legally required to give the ANC's recommendations “great weight,” which often includes addressing an ANC's concerns in writing in the Board's final decisions. ANC 2B may shape its recommendation to the ABC Board in a number of ways. For example, it may recommend that the moratorium be abolished altogether, or that the shape of the zone be changed, or that the number of certain (or all) categories of liquor licenses (e.g., taverns, restaurants) be increased or decreased, or that a certain number of current liquor licensees be given or denied permission to expand their businesses, among other possibilities.

About the Dupont East Moratorium

Some facts about the Dupont East Liquor License Moratorium:

"[I]t is the Board’s position that moratoriums are not meant to be in place indefinitely. The existing East Dupont Circle moratorium has been in place for over eighteen (18) years and there has been a great deal of change in the neighborhood it is intended to preserve.” This quotation is from the September 24, 2010, “Notice of Final Rulemaking” of DC's ABC Board. This officially documents the most recent extension of the Dupont East Moratorium zone. It is Notice ID 530510 of the DC Register.
The above document is not available on the ABRA web page about DC liquor license moratoriums. The link on this page purporting to connect to this document instead leads you to a transcript of a March 29, 2009, ABC Board fact-finding hearing granting a 30-day extension of the existing moratorium to allow time for administrative processing.
There are five liquor license moratoriums in DC. The others are Dupont West, Adams Morgan, Glover Park and Georgetown.
ABRA Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Berman said in March that no DC liquor license moratorium, once enacted, has ever been repealed.
The previous extensions of the Dupont East Moratorium zone were championed by the Dupont Circle Citizens Association and the Dupont Circle Merchants and Professionals Association.
Before its latest extension in 2010, the Dupont East Moratorium zone was extended in 2005-6 (see document here). At the times of both the 2005-6 and the 2009-10 extensions, short-term moratorium extensions were necessary to ensure continuity. This was seemingly due to the slow and laborious process of public hearings, document preparation, voting, appeals, etc., on the full extension. The need to, at the same time, go through the paperwork for temporary extensions resulted in further patchwork of public hearings, documents, etc. This time, ANC 2B appears to be making an effort to have a decision about the long-term future of the moratorium ready for ABC Board consideration before the expiration of the current moratorium in September. If they can do it, it will be a savings in taxpayer money, as well as time and aggravation for everyone involved.

Local residents will have another chance to comment at a second listening session at the Chastleton Ballroom on Monday, June 24, at 7 pm. On Wednesday, August 7, ANC 2B's ABRA Policy Committee will publicly present its a draft proposal for the first time. The full ANC will consider the committee's proposal at its monthly meeting on Wednesday, August 14. ANC 2B's ABRA Policy Committee can also be contacted by email at abra[at]dupontcircleanc.net. Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.

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Garrison Elementary Ready for Full Modernization

borderstan — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:00:52 +0000

Last week Garrison Elementary had two events in which neighbors could help the modernization fund for the school.Then DC City Council Education Committee Chair David Catania (I-At Large) announced last week that resources had been identified that will help speed up the first phase of the modernization project. Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) said, "I will support expediting that funding to support Garrison." Budget Chair Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) is also supporting Garrison: "I have vowed to make Garrison the gem of a neighborhood school that it should be. The funding I was able to secure for the field renovations last year was a first step, stopping it from closing was next and making sure that the renovations take place in an expeditious manner is part of that commitment."

Original Timeline was Nine-Year Plan

The original plan of modernization of the school including three phases through 2022. Ann McLeod, Garrison PTA president said, "This is just unacceptable! The school has not been updated since it was originally built in 1964 and its facilities rank among the worst in the district. The $8 million is a great start. But the Garrison community, led by the PTA, will continue pushing for a full modernization by 2015, as we have been all along." In May a resolution was passed by ANC 2F and ANC 2B asking that the City Council appropriate $16 million to fully fund Garrison's modernization in Fiscal Year 2014 to allow for a complete modernization. Last year Garrison Elementary School was saved from closure, now it has to be renovated. Garrison is located 1200 S Street NW and serves elementary school for children in both Wards 1 and 2. The school hasn't been renovated since 1964. The Deputy Mayor for Education Plan recommends that schools in Garrison's situation not be approached in phases. "A mere Phase 1 does not address the exterior of the building, which is a huge deterrent to enrollment, in all likelihood does not address ADA compliance, and does not encourage a coordinated approach to improve its 4.5 acres of outdoor space," Garrison Improvement Project Chair Vanessa Bertelli points out. "It's time for DC to show it can act as One City and fund the full modernization of a school that has the space and the grounds to be this community's centerpiece." Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.

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ANC 2B Becomes Final Commission to Oppose Liquor License Moratorium

David McAuley — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:00:35 +0000

From David McAuley. Email him at david[AT]borderstan.com. At its regular monthly meeting last night, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont became the last of four ANCs inside the boundaries of the proposed 14th and U liquor license moratorium to condemn it. The vote was 6 to 1 in favor of a resolution against the moratorium; there was one abstention. Commissioner Abigail Nichols, 2B-05, was the lone vote against the resolution. Commissioner Leo Dwyer, 2B-07, abstained. Commissioner Mike Silverstein, 2B-06, recused himself from the vote. Silverstein recuses himself from all ANC 2B alcohol licensing matters as he also serves on the DC Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board. ANC 6E/Shaw, ANC 2F/Logan Circle and ANC 1B/U Street have already voted against the proposed moratorium. ANCs are advisory in nature; they cannot approve or reject legislation or rules. The DC Council and city agencies are to give their opinions strong consideration. The moratorium will be the subject of a public hearing by DC’s Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration on May 22 at 1:30 pm at the Reeves Municipal Building, northwest corner of 14th and U Streets NW. The hearing will take place in the Board Hearing Room, 4th Floor South. The Board is accepting email comment through Friday, May 17.

Next Up: East Dupont Circle Moratorium

The meeting gave one final chance for members and supporters of moratorium petition originator, Shaw Dupont Citizens Alliance (SDCA), to repeat their case. Former and current leadership of the Dupont Circle Citizens Association also spoke in support of the SDCA's petition. A few other members of the community also gave input, and some commissioners spoke about the rationale for their votes. Abigail Nichols had recently suggested delaying the vote, but she did not propose a motion to do so at the meeting. After its vote on the 14th and U moratorium, ANC 2B will turn its attention to the East Dupont Circle liquor license moratorium. This moratorium covers most of 17th Street between P and S Streets, and will expire on September 23. ANC 2B will hold two listening sessions to hear citizen comment on the East Dupont Circle moratorium. The first listening session will be on Tuesday, May 21, at 7 pm, at the Chastleton Ballroom (1701 16th Street NW). This is a change from a previously-announced date of Monday, May 20. There will be another listening session at the Chastleton Ballroom on Monday, June 24, at 7 pm. ANC 2B then plans to role out a draft presentation on the East Dupont Circle moratorium at its liquor licensing affairs committee meeting on Wednesday, August 7. The matter will then be considered by the full ANC at its monthly meeting on Wednesday, August 14.

Garrison Elementary, Stead Park Battle for DC Funds

ANC2B joined ANC2F/Logan Circle in unanimously passing a resolution in support of accelerated funding for the renovation of Garrison Elementary School (1200 S Street). The resolution calls for $16 million in funding for the renovation to be moved from the 2015 DC budget to the 2014 DC budget. The co-chairs of the ANC 2F Education Committee, Commissioner Matt Connelly, 2F-08, and Evelyn Boyd Simmons, appeared at the meeting in support of the resolution. They brought the fresh news. DC Councilmember David Catania (I-At Large) had just told a community meeting at Garrison the Council had found $8 million in the 2014 budget to begin the renovation. At the beginning of the meeting, Commissioner Kishan Putta, 2B-04, announced that, after a local show of support and testimony by concerned citizens, the DC Council Committee on Workforce and Community Affairs had recommended $1.6 million for the renovation of Stead Park (1625 P Street) be moved to the 2014 budget. Putta pledged to work to get the recommendation included in the budget when it appears before the full DC Council on May 22.

Hotel Palomar: Valet Parking Problems

The ANC unanimously passed a resolution noting unsafe valet parking practices by the Hotel Palomar (2121 P Street). The Commission noted photographs showing the hotel parking vans and customer cars on the sidewalk of the 2100 block of P Street, and that the ANC and local residents have asked the hotel to stop. Still, the practice continues. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) asked ANC 2B to produce a document specifying the complaints against the Hotel Palomar, so they can move ahead on enforcement. The resolution is the result.

Food Truck Resolution

ANC 2B unanimously passed a resolution advising the DC Council to reject proposed rulemaking on food trucks and send the matter back to the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) for review. Commissioner Kevin O'Connor, 2B-02, said the rules as currently written have no procedure for the community. through ANCs, to weigh in on this public space matter. Use of public space is ordinarily an area of ANC input. There were too many action items for the three-hour meeting time, so ANC2B has scheduled an “Overflow Special Meeting” next Monday, May 13, 7 pm, at the Dupont Circle Hotel (1500 New Hampshire Avenue). Most of the items on the agenda concern Historic Preservation Review Board applications to change or renovate local properties. Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.

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ANC 2B Commissioner Wants to Postpone Moratorium Vote

David McAuley — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:00:06 +0000

From David McAuley. Email him at david[AT]borderstan.com. In a long comment posted on the website of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont, Commissioner Abigail Nichols, 2B-05, said she opposes ANC 2B's resolution against the 14th and U liquor license moratorium and wants to postpone the vote until the following week. ANC 2B will meet tomorrow (Wednesday) evening at 7 pm at the Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW, for its regular monthly meeting. A vote on the resolution is on the agenda. Nichols writes: “I recommend the ANC give this its best attention by beginning discussion May 8 and continuing to a vote at the special meeting that has been already been called for May 13, 2013, for other reasons. I believe there would be time on the agenda May 13, 2013, to include more on the moratorium petition.” Nichols also writes about touring the U Street area in the early hours of a recent Sunday morning. She saw pools of vomit, screaming and drug dealing, although police were present. Abigail said her tour on showed “the tip of the iceberg.” Nichols criticizes the resolution as written, saying: “The proposed resolution objects to the moratorium law itself but could include more information that would indicate whether existing law applies in this case.” She also calls the resolution “too optimistic about the ability of alternative tools that deal with individual alcohol establishments to preserve the peace, order, and quiet of residential neighborhoods.” ANC 2B heard public comment on the liquor license moratorium at the March multi-ANC listening session as well as at a separate listening session for ANC 2B residents. ANC 6E/Shaw, ANC 2F/Logan Circle and ANC 1B/U Street have already voted against the proposed moratorium. The city's Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration is required to take serious consideration of the opinions of ANCs before it decides whether to send the moratorium to the DC Council. Nichols was elected to serve on ANC 2B in a special election in March. Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.

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ANC 2B Drafts Resolution Rejecting Liquor License Moratorium

David McAuley — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:00:39 +0000

From David McAuley. Email him at david[AT]borderstan.com. Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont seems set to become the fourth and last ANC to say no to the proposed U Street liquor license moratorium at its next public meeting on Wednesday, May 8. The meeting will be held at 7 pm at the Brookings Institution (1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW). On May 4, ANC 2B published a draft resolution on its blog rejecting the moratorium. It reads, in part: ... be it RESOLVED, that ANC 2B advise the ABC Board to reject in its entirety the pending petition to create a retail liquor license moratorium zone in the Historic 14th and U Street Corridor and to decline to move forward with any rule-making process to effectuate such a moratorium zone;... ANCs are advisory in nature; they cannot approve or reject legislation or rules. The DC Council and city agencies are to give their opinions strong consideration. A note accompanying the draft resolution encourages interested individuals to contact their ANC 2B commissioners in advance of the May 8 meeting. There is also a comment section on the draft resolution page. In addition, ANC 2B Commissioner Noah Smith, 2B-09, whose district is most directly affected by the proposed moratorium, has set up a separate page for comments. ANC 2B's blog also notes “there will only be a limited time to debate the matter at the [May 8] meeting.” ANC 6E/Shaw, ANC 2F/Logan Circle and ANC 1B/U Street have already voted to condemn the proposed moratorium. The moratorium will be the subject of a public hearing by DC's Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration on May 22 at 1:30 pm at the Reeves Municipal Building, northwest corner of 14th and U Streets NW. The hearing will take place in the Board Hearing Room, 4th Floor South. The Board is accepting email comment through Friday, May 17. Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.

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Resurfacing Work Begins Monday on 5 Blocks of U Street NW

borderstan — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will begin repairing and resurfacing U Street NW between 9th and 14th Streets as part of the U Street NW Streetscape Project. Work is scheduled to begin the week of May 6, weather permitting. The complete resurfacing will take approximately three weeks to finish.

Three-Step Process

Milling away two inches of the old surface from 9th to 14th Street, estimated three days.
Repairing damaged concrete, about 10 days.
Paving the roadway with asphalt from 9th to 14th Street, approximately three days.

DDOT says that after the asphalt has been removed, pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers should use caution in the area; the roadway will be uneven until the new asphalt surface is in place. For more information about the U Street NW Streetscape Project, visit their website or contact Chinaka A. Young at chinaka.young[AT]volkert.com. Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.

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Stead Park Supporters Push for Faster Upgrade Timeline

borderstan — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:00:57 +0000

This Monday, April 29, supporters of the Stead Park upgrade will testify before the DC Council Committee on Workforce and Community Affairs in support of an advanced timeframe for park improvements. As things stand with the current proposal, funding for these upgrades will not come until fiscal year 2015 and the earliest that any construction will begin is fall 2014. As a member of Friends of Stead Park (FOSP) and a commissioner of ANC 2B, Kishan Putta is organizing the testimony following the securement of $1.6 million in funding for the project from the Council and the DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DCDPR). This action from FOSP comes on the heels of their having spoken with Mayor Vincent Gray at the public Ward 2 Budget Town Hall. It was at this Town Hall that the mayor expressed an interest in speeding up the timeframe of the upgrades to the park after hearing of both the community’s excitement for the upgrades and the community funding that will go with city funding. FOSP was bolstered by the mayor’s reaction and, according to Putta,“The April 29 meeting will be an opportunity for members of the community to speak before the committee about why the timeframe for the Stead Park upgrades should be advanced.

Upgrade Plans

The upgrade plans for Stead Park include shade trees and benches along the perimeter of the playing field, a jogging/walking track, a performance stage, a miniature water park for children, and maintenance of the playing field that will continue to accommodate two simultaneous games. Members of the community agreed upon these plans after two years of discussion and consensus building, which included a series of community meetings with the FOSP Board of Directors. The new plans are designed to make the park more usable and better suited for the changing community.

Involvement

Anyone interested in supporting an advanced timeframe for park improvements may send short letters of support kishan.putta[AT]dupontcircleanc.net before this Sunday, April 28. Community members are also invited to join the hearing at 10 am on Monday, April 29, before the Committee on Workforce and Community Affairs at the Wilson Building, Room 412. Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.

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Raze Permit Application Filed for Former Site of “Men’s Parties”

borderstan — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:13:29 +0000

After receiving numerous emails with photos from readers alerting us to the news, we took a look ourselves: There is, indeed, a notice at 1618 14th Street that the owners have filed an application for a permit to raze the building. The building at Corcoran and 14th rose to "fame" three-and-a-half years ago as the site of "Men's Parties/Wrestling Club" after a patron died after apparently falling down a flight of stairs on October 4, 2009. A spokesperson for the DC Historic Preservation Office said they have not yet received the application to raze the property. However, they are aware that it is coming as the property is located within the 14th Street Historic District. As we noted in our original 2009 story, "The location of the death is the upstairs unit of 1618 14th Street, at the northwest corner of 14th and Corcoran Streets NW. According to published reports (MetroWeekly) and numerous online reviews, the building houses a sex club for gay and bisexual men. The club last made news when it experienced a fire in June of 2005." After the DC Police spoke to Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2F and said they were looking for ways to shut down the club, it was obvious that Men's Parties days were numbered. After reopening for a while, Men's Parties was shut down by the city in January 2010. For relative newcomers to the neighborhood, it's important to remember that the redevelopment of the 14th Street corridor had not come as far as it has today. There was still a spot for a business such as Men's Parties — where patrons could come and go without attracting notice from crowds on the sidewalk. Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.

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