From David McAuley. Email him at david[AT]borderstan.com.

SDCA’s Guy Podgornik (standing) presents to ANC 2F/Logan on March 14. (David McAuley)

The Shaw Dupont Citizens Association (SDCA) took its case for the controversial U Street Liquor License Moratorium to the monthly meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2F on Thursday evening, March 14. They got a polite but frosty reception. ANC2F covers the Logan Circle area.

The SDCA made a presentation similar to the one they made at last month’s meeting of the subcommittee for liquor license matters of neighboring ANC1B. Guy Podgornik, SDCA treasurer, made the presentation to ANC2F.

He said the legal definition in DC of “overconcentration” in regards to liquor licensees is now 18, but there are about 120 licensed establishments in the proposed moratorium zone. This number is up from the 107 establishments operating when the petition was filed, Podgornik said.

Map of proposed liquor license area. The area within the heavy black lines is Ward 1. (David McAuley)

Podgornik added that DC government timeline requirements meant DC’s Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) would not have public hearings on the matter before June at the earliest. After the hearings, ABRA will have the authority to accept the petition, reject the petition, change the radius of the zone, or change the shape of the zone entirely.

The ABRA hearings should not be confused with the town-hall style listening session about the liquor license moratorium to be held jointly by ANCs 1B, 2B and 2F this Wednesday, March 20, at 7 pm, at the Thurgood Marshall Center, 1816 12th Street NW.

After Podgornik’s presentation, ANC2F Chair Matt Raymond and other commissioners asked questions and made statements that made clear their displeasure with the proposal. Raymond took exception with some facts that appeared in the SDCA’s petition filing.

The proposal said certain blocks in the moratorium area had more than 50 percent of their street frontage taken up by alcohol licensees. This is a violation of the law. This law was going unenforced, Podgornik said, with up to 90 percent frontage in some blocks of ANC1B. Raymond responded that this was not the case in ANC2F.

“I have a lot of problems with this,” Raymond said. He added: “I want to reserve judgment until after the town hall.”

Move the Zone North?

ANC2F ABRA Committee Chair John Fanning asked if it were possible to move the moratorium zone north so no part of it fell in ANC2F. Podgornik explained the law limited petitioners to asking for circular zones either 600, 1,200 or 1,800 feet in radius; no other shapes or sizes were possible. Furthermore, by law the center point of a petition’s circle must fall on the property of a current liquor licensee. Moving the center north would cause it to fall in the middle of a residential neighborhood with no liquor licensees.

“Your moratorium, it’s an intrusion into this neighborhood,” Fanning said. “We want to keep the vibrancy going.”

Pride Parade

At the beginning of the meeting, ANC2F also heard a short presentation from Capital Pride. The group asked for support for the upcoming Capital Pride Parade. The parade will occur on Saturday, June 8, starting at 4:30 pm.

It will follow a slightly different route through 2F this year, turning north at the corner of 14th and P Streets NW, instead of south as previously. It is planned that 14th Street will be closed up to U Street for the parade. The board voted to endorse the request for appropriate street closures.

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From David McAuley. Email at david[AT]borderstan.com

A community forum on Sunday parking in the Logan Circle area brought a message from the DC government that “churches must work on off-street parking,” as well as many complaints from the church-going community. The forum was held Wednesday evening, February 27, as part of the monthly meeting of the Community Development Committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2F.

The February 27 ANC 2F forum on parking in Logan Circle. (David McAuley)

As part of a presentation at the beginning of the meeting District Department of Transportation (DDOT) program manager Damon Harvey said that “churches must work on off-street parking.”

He returned to this idea many times while responding to citizen complaints, saying that the DDOT will work with churches to identify possible sites for nearby off-street parking. Harvey said that special parking arrangements for local residents are “a good idea,” but they could possibly be lifted for part of Sunday.

Harvey also pointed out that, after DDOT’s Enhanced Residential Permit Parking (ERPP) program was extended to Logan Circle last year, his office identified 50 new parking spaces in ANC2F for use on Sunday morning. These spaces are on streets that are heavily used during the work week, when parking is forbidden. They are now signposted as usable on Sunday mornings.

The ERPP program reserves one side one a block for cars with resident parking stickers between the hours of 7 am and midnight. The other side of the block is open to visitors for limited amounts of time.

Many members of the public, both church leaders and members of congregations, used the forum to bring their complaints about the state of parking near churches to the attention of the board. Some complained that the Sunday morning hours for the 50 parking spaces were not long enough, as church activity often started early in the morning and went on until the evening. One attributed increased parking problems to recent bicycle-friendly measures, saying that “the bicycle people are very powerful”.

The Rev. Vernon A. Shannon of the John Wesley AME Zion Church (14th and Corcoran Streets NW) testified that cars participating in a funeral at a church had been ticketed because they were double-parked in the bicycle lane on 14th Street, in spite of what Shannon understood to be promises to the contrary. Harvey replied that, while churches could apply for temporary permits for curbside parking for funerals, double-parking in bike lanes was always going to be ticketed.

The Rev. Lane Davenport of the Church of the Ascension and Saint Agnes (Massachusetts Avenue and 12th Street NW) called for the full ANC to recommend the lifting of ERPP in the Logan Circle area on Sundays from 7am to 2pm. He characterized the ERPP as “privatizing a public space for residents.”

Wednesday’s Community Forum was the first in a series of three dedicated to discussion on parking issues with input from the public. The next meeting will be on Wednesday, March 27, and will address the ERPP. The final meeting will be on Wednesday, April 24, and will address visitor parking.

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From David McAuley. Email him at david[AT]borderstan.com

ANC 2F discusses the proposed liquor moratorium on Wednesday night. (David McAuley)

In two separate public meetings Wednesday night, February 20, the Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) Committees of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) 2F and 1B discussed next steps on the proposed U Street liquor license moratorium. ANC 2F covers the Logan Circle area while ANC 1B includes a large bulk of the U Street area.

The area of the proposed moratorium would fall in both districts, as well as neighboring districts 2B and 6E.

At the ANC 2F meeting, ABRA Committee Member Christopher Dyer proposed and later withdrew a motion opposing the liquor license moratorium. In between the proposal and the withdrawal, committee members discussed various issues surrounding the moratorium and listened to opinions from members of the public.

Some committee members expressed opposition to the moratorium; others said that they wanted more public input first. ABRA Committee Member Kate Gordon said that she was against Dyer’s motion “because I want to hear what people have to say.”

Committee Member Matt Raymond (also Commissioner for ANC2 F-07 and chair of ANC 2F) noted that a joint meeting of all effected ANCs, which had been first proposed by ANC2F, was tentatively scheduled for March 20. The committee hoped that “maybe” there would be an opportunity to meet again after the proposed joint ANC meeting in March, at which time the committee could discuss and vote on a recommendation to the ANC as a whole.

Raymond also told the committee that Shaw-Dupont Citizens Alliance President Joan E. Sterling had to decline an invitation to speak at the ANC 2F committee, due to the conflicting ANC 1B meeting. When the floor was opened to comments, one other member of the public, a resident of ANC 6E, spoke in favor of the moratorium. A representative of the Logan Circle Community Association spoke against it.

At the same time, reports on Twitter indicated that ANC1B’s ABRA Committee was hearing testimony on the moratorium. ANC 2B Commissioner Kevin O’Connor tweeted from the meeting that a representative of the DC government did a “good presentation” about moratorium process and procedure.

Later, O’Connor tweeted that the Shaw Dupont Citizens Alliance presented their petition to the committee. However, no action or vote was taken by ANC1B’s ABRA Committee. O’Connor described the meeting as “a listening session.”

O’Connor is also the chairman of the ABRA Committee for neighboring ANC 2B.

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From David McAuley. Email at david[AT]borderstan.com

February ANC 2F  meeting on Wednesday night. (David McAuley)

Advisory Neighborhood Council (ANC) 2F members criticized a controversial proposal for a liquor license moratorium for the 14th and U street area at a public meeting last night, but then voted unanimously to support holding joint public hearings with neighboring ANCs about it. ANC 2F covers the Logan Circle area.

ANC 2F Chairman Matt Raymond declared that he was “leaning strongly against” the moratorium, and Commissioner John Fanning, chair of ANC 2F’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) Committee, said that he was “leaning towards not supporting” it.

However, the commission agreed with resolution’s statement that the matter was best handled at one or more joint meetings of the ANC districts that are likely to be affected by the moratorium, specifically, ANC districts 2B, 1B and 6E.

Raymond hoped that the joint meetings would be able to take place on or around March 20, but an exact date had not been set. Commissioners also said that the statement had been circulated to the relevant neighboring ANCs, all of which, by law, must pass a similar resolution before joint hearings can take place.

No one from either of the two organizations supporting the petition, the Shaw Dupont Citizens Alliance or the Residential Action Committee, identified themselves as present at the meeting, and a request to find anyone present who would speak for the proposal was met with a deafening silence. One local resident eventually spoke up to note that “there are people who are concerned”.

Also last night, ambiguous signals came out of meeting of neighboring ANC6E. A tweet from the Shawington Times confirmed that ANC6E passed an anti-moratorium resolution last night. It is not clear what effect this would have on ANC2F’s proposal for a joint meeting.

The DC Council would have to pass legislation approving the moratorium.

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From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.

ANC 2F covers the Logan Circle area. (DC Board of Elections)

On Wednesday, February 6, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2F will hold its regular monthly meeting. Only this meeting will include a topic that has received a lot of local attention: liquor license moratoriums.

Commissioner John Fanning, chair of ANC 2F’s ABRA Committee, will lead a discussion regarding the proposed liquor license moratorium for 14th and U streets NW. ANC 2F covers the Logan Circle area.

Additionally, the meeting will address the Sunday parking ban in some parts of ANC 2F. A representative from DDOT will be on hand to explain the proposal to consider Sunday parking restrictions and to take questions from the commission and the community.

The ANC meeting is open to the public and will take place Wednesday, February 6, at 7 pm at the Washington Plaza Hotel in Thomas Circle.

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Rendering of proposed Stead Park redesign. (Courtesy of Friends of Stead Park)

From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com. 

Friends of Stead Park, the organization that works with a private trust and the DC Department of Parks and Recreation to run the Logan/Dupont park, will present proposed renovation design plans to ANC 2B/Dupont on Wednesday, January 9, at the monthly meeting. Stead Park is in 2B on the 1600 block of P Street NW.

The proposed design (pictured above) includes some bench seating along the south wall, a grassy berm at the southwest corner and a large field to allow for two simultaneous kickball games.

Since October, Friends of Stead Park has worked with community members on proposed renovations to the 1.5-acre facility at 1625 P Street NW. According to Jeff Garigliano, treasurer of Friends of Stead Park, the space is in need of some “desperate love.”

On Sunday, December 2, Friends of Stead Park presented the revised renovation plans (updated to include community input) back to the community. Now, the organization is taking those revised plans to ANC 2B for the next step in the process.

Wednesday’s ANC 2BF meeting will take place at 7 pm at the Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW.

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Five of the 10 most popular 2012 Politics and Government stories were related to local ANC races. (Collage by Luis Gomez Photos)

It’s that time again… a look back before we start 2013. Like last December, we will provide you with a list of the most-read stories on Borderstan by category. Today are the Top 10 from the Politics and Governmenet section.

The web is forever, so they say. Posted stories continue to get hits a long time after originally going up on the site. As a result, some of the most-read stories for the year were sometimes published the year before — especially if they were published late the year before (although that was not the case with following stories, all from 2012).

Top 10 Politics and Government Stories of 2012

These Politics and Government stories were Top 10 most read last year on Borderstan.com. Five of them were related to local ANC candidaes/races in Advisory Neighborhood Commissions 1B, 2B and 2F. section.

1. Meet Walt Cain: Candidate for ANC 2F-02 (Rachel Nania)
2. Where to Follow the Election Online Today (Borderstan)
3. Mayor Gray Dines at Hank’s Oyster Bar, Shows Support for Restaurant (Tom Hay)
4. Know the Candidates in Contested ANC Races (Rachel Nania)
5. Have Our National Monuments Become Too “Disneyfied?” (Maggie Barron)
6. Streetscape Project: U Street Rehabilitation To Begin June 11 (Tom Hay)
7. Contested ANC Races: Compare the Candidates’ Positions (Borderstan)
8. Borderstan ANC Races: Six Contested Races in 2B, 2F and 1B (Tom Hay)
9. Meet Zahra Jilani: Candidate for ANC 1B-12 (Rachel Nania)
10. Poll Closes Sunday: Should Just 5 People Be Allowed to Protest a Liquor License? (Rachel Nania)

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From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com. 

ANC 2F. Click for a larger image. (DC Board of Elections)

ANC 2F/Logan will hold a Community Development Committee Meeting on Wednesday, November 28, at the Washington Plaza Hotel (10 Thomas Circle NW). The meeting will focus on several new developments in the area, including:

• An application request for special exception approval and variances in order to permit the use of the subject property for pet grooming, animal boarding and animal shelter uses in the C-2-A District at 1232 9th Street NW.
• A DDOT request for a sidewalk cafe at 1225 Eye Street NW.
• A DDOT request for a sidewalk cafe at Bar Bari.
• A BZA Application from Abdo Development for 1400-1402 14th Street NW.

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Waiting for the provisional and absentee ballot count: Four winners, two races questionable in local ANC races. (Collage Luis Gomez Photos)

All 143 DC Precincts have reported in, but provisional and absentee ballots have yet to be counted. Even with some votes still to be counted by the DC Board of Elections and Ethics, there seem to be four clear winners — and two races that could depend on the uncounted votes — in local contested races for Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) seats in 1B, 2B and 2F.

According to the DC Board of Elections and Ethics (DCBOEE), provisional and absentee ballots must be counted no later than 10 days after an election. As of early Wednesday morning, DCBOEE was unable to say how many such ballots are outstanding in DC.

Tuesday Morning ANC Race Results

• U Street: In the four-way 1B-12 race, Zahara Jilanni has 263 votes with her nearest competitor, John Green, holding 245 votes, an 18 vote difference. Erling Bailey and Dan Wittels finished further back. The question in this race comes down to those outstanding votes.
• Dupont: In the 2B-03 race, Stephanie Maltz holds a commanding lead over Bevan Mace, 404 to 102; Maltz has 78% of the vote.
• Dupont: In 2B-04, Kishan Putta has 62% with 497 votes. Stephanie Sheridan is in second place with 208 votes and Martin Espinoza has 87 votes.
• Logan: In 2F-02, Walt Cain holds a 51 vote lead over Adam Stempel, 292 to 241.
• Logan: In 2F-04, John Fanning has a 14 vote lead over Joel Heisey, 299 to 285. Again, could provisional and absentee ballots change the result?
• Logan: In 2F-08, Matt Connolly holds what is probably a comfortable 47 vote lead over Howard Marks, 235 to 188.

ANC 1B-12

• Erling Bailey: 127
• John Green: 245
• Zahra Jilani: 263
• Dan Wittels: 85
• Write-In: 9

ANC 2B-03

• Bevan Mace: 102
• Stephanie Maltz: 404
• Write-In: 147

ANC 2B-04

• Martin Espinoza: 87
• Kishan Putta: 497
• Stephanie Sheridan: 208
• Write-In: 7

ANC 2F-02

• James Baker: 75
• Walt Cain: 292
• Adam Stempel: 241
• Write-In: 6

ANC 2F-04

• John Fanning: 299
• Joel Heisey: 285
• Write-In: 12

ANC 2F-08

• Matt Connolly: 235
• Howard Marks: 188
• Write-In: 6

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From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.

Walt Cain Candidate is running for forANC 2F-02. (Courtesy Walt Cain)

There are 21 Single Member District (SMD) seats up for grabs on the November 6 ballot in three different local ANCs: 2B/Dupont, 2F/Logan and 1B, which includes most of the U Street corridor. Recently we introduced you to the candidates, including Walt Cain (see Know the Candidates in Contested ANC Races). He faces Adam Stempel and James Baker for the ANC 2F-02 seat.

Now, it’s Question and Answer Time on the issues.

Borderstan: What will be your first priority/new initiative if you are elected to ANC 2F and why?

Cain: My priorities as commissioner will be to promote smart growth, safe streets, and a strong community. I will be an advocate for growth that respects Logan Circle as a community of residents, and not simply a destination. This means prioritizing growth that is geared toward the everyday needs of those living within ANC 2F. I will leverage the existing positive relationship that ANC 2F has with MPD to identify patterns of criminal activity and to increase resident alertness.

The goal of this will be to make residents more aware of specific crime patterns in our area and to pass along advice on how to avoid becoming a target. I want the residents of Logan Circle to be directly and actively engaged in the development of their neighborhood.  To that end, I will partner with community and resident associations within 2F-02 to maximize my accessibility and effectiveness as an advocate and liaison for their interests.

Borderstan: How will you engage your constituents on issues so that your decisions reflect that of the majority of your Single Member District.

Cain: In an effort to make residents aware of issues facing our neighborhood and how the ANC can serve them, I will regularly engage the community through the use of traditional and social media platforms, like:

• Posting flyers on community boards in 2F-02 businesses and residential buildings.
• Proactively reaching out to community and residential associations.
• Maintaining Facebook and Twitter accounts for 2F-02 so that residents can remain aware of community developments and contact me directly with concerns.
• Partnering with neighborhood blogs to establish myself as a guest contributor to keep 2F-02 readers aware of issues in the neighborhood and ways the ANC can better serve them.

Borderstan: Becoming “the next Adams Morgan” is a consistent fear expressed in ANC 2F meetings. Would you support a liquor license moratorium for the 14th and U corridor? If so, why? If not, why?

Cain: Given the number of establishments with liquor licenses already on 14th Street and the large number of similar businesses in the pipeline to arrive in the next year, controlling the flow of liquor licenses is one of several tools the ANC should use to tailor and safeguard the neighborhood’s atmosphere. Limiting the number of bars and restaurants on the 14th Street Corridor will open up space for other local businesses to serve the needs of our residents, not just visitors to our neighborhood.

Click for a larger image. ANC 2F-02 is directly west of Logan Circle. (DC Board of Elections)

Borderstan: Do you believe the voluntary agreement process for liquor license applicants needs to be changed? If so, how?

Cain: Yes. One detail in need of revision is the provision that allows only five residents to protest a liquor license and block business development. Increasing the number of residents required to trigger the voluntary agreement process to reflect a broader community consensus is one part of the current process that needs to be changed.

Borderstan: Logan Circle and the 14th and U corridor area is now a destination spot for people throughout the DC Metro area, especially on weekends. Do you believe that the police presence, particularly on the 14th, Street corridor, is adequate, especially on weekends?

Cain: A stronger police presence is not only needed along 14th Street, but also the streets that surround and branch off from the main corridor. Muggings, assaults, and smash-and-grabs have been occurring far more frequently on side-streets less trafficked than 14th Street itself. The police presence is needed at all times, not just the weekends.

Borderstan: The pace of development is rapid in the area, especially along 14th Street NW. Do you think more commercial buildings would be good for the area, as opposed to more residential buildings?

Cain: Yes, I think diversity in development is one of the keys to making 2F-02, and 14th Street more broadly, a great place to live, work, and play. I would like to see more development that offers space for entrepreneurs, non-profits, and professional groups on upper floors and retail space ideal for local small businesses at street level.  Exclusively expanding residential growth means our existing restaurants, shops, and services will become even more overloaded with customers, so a balance of commercial space is critical.

Borderstan: Do you support the new restricted Residential Park Permit pilot program implemented through ANC 2F in late summer/early fall 2012? Tell us why or why not.

Cain: I think the program has been a great first step toward developing a long-term solution to ANC 2F’s parking problem. I think people who live in our ANC should have priority to convenient parking over those who are coming in for a short period of time.

Borderstan: Of the many possibilities being discussed to alleviate parking constraints in ANC 2F is the construction of parking garages along or near the 14th Street corridor. Do you support these efforts?

Cain: I think there are a number of smaller, more readily achievable steps that can be taken to alleviate parking constraints and that this is where the majority of the ANC’s efforts should be focused. Specifically, formalizing the parking pilot program for residents, and encouraging visitors to make broader use of existing transportation options like Metro, the Circulator, and Capital Bikeshare.

Borderstan: Are there types of business in our neighborhood that stands out as something we need more of in the area? If so, can you name three?

Cain: I would like to see more businesses run by neighborhood residents, and more businesses that cater to the everyday life of people who live in our community. Examples include an affordable neighborhood deli for a quick bite to eat, a local coffee shop offering space for residents to work or relax, and a bookstore with mixed-use space to bring neighbors together.

“For more information visit Walt Cain”

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