From Tom Hay and Rachel Nania. Email Hay at Tom[AT]borderstan.com and follow him on Twitter @Tomonswann. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com. 

Alcohol Reform. (Luis Gomez Photos)

The DC Council will vote this week, possibly today, on a controversial bill addressing liquor licensing for local businesses and residents’ roles in the process.

Currently, there is no distance requirement for protesting a liquor license, meaning that a resident in Cleveland Park could protest a license application for a restaurant near Logan Circle.

The new bill would significantly change the current regulations by limiting protests of liquor licenses to those living within 400 feet of an establishment. If passed, the new bill would also allow for Voluntary Agreements (VA) negotiated by Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) to override agreements made by a group of residents.

The Current Newspaper reports that there are 43 provisions in the omnibus bill, which was constructed by a group of representatives from the alcohol industry, businesses and neighborhood groups, as well as a group focusing on noise issues. This group that provided input on the bill includes representatives from wards 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8, and Jim Graham worked as the sponsor on the bill.

A newly-formed group called the Alcohol Sanity Coalition DC, founded by Dupont Circle resident Abigail Nichols, is fighting several amendments proposed in Graham’s bill. In a November press release, the group raised concerns about a provision that would limit any resident protest if a VA were negotiated by the ANC. The group is also targeting provisions related to noise complaints and fines.

In addition to leading the Coalition, Nichols is seeking election to the ANC Commissioner seat in Single Member District 2B-05, a position now held by Commissioner Victor Wexler who withdrew from the race shortly before election day. Wexler’s name appeared on the ballot and he received over 80 percent of the votes in his District.

The DC hospitality industry has countered with its own assessment of the amendments. The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) issued a plea to push for changes to reduce the regulatory burden imposed by current regulations and curtail the power of arbitrary groups to limit operations.

The RAMW release includes a quote from Hank’s Oyster Bar owner Jamie Leeds who has become the poster child for alcohol regulation gone wrong. Leeds’ effort to expand her Dupont Circle restaurant was well documented on Borderstan and citywide. Her expansion plans became a three-year regulatory and courtroom battle in which she ultimately prevailed.

Mark Lee, coordinator for DC Hospitality, published a guest column on PoPville, stating that “it’s time to end an out-of-balance licensing system that puts limits on dining, drinking and entertainment choices for the many by the few – slowing the city’s forward progress and hurting the local economy!”

D.C. Hospitality is also asking to supporters of the reform to “Tell D.C. Council + Mayor Gray to Reform Unfair Licensing Laws” on this online petition. Hank’s Oyster Bar and the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA) both issued statements calling for support of the proposed bill.

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From Tom Hay. Questions for Tom? Send him an email at Tom[AT]borderstan.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Tomonswann.

Gaylarious at La Kazbah. (Courtesy Gaylarious)

The stand-up comedy group Gaylarious is returning to Dupont Circle this week. Hosts Zach Toczynski and Chris Doucette will present a diverse group of comics from DC and New York City.

La Kazbah will be the place and as a bonus, local DJ Adam Koussari-Amin will provide the music. Doucette, who is a part-time Borderstan resident, recalled to Borderstan that he and Toczynski started Gaylarious in 2007 in the basement of what was then HR 57 on 14th Street in Logan Circle.

Shows frequently sell out early so get your tickets early. Tickets are $15 online or $17 at the door. If you pay at the door, please have cash. You can use your credit card for food and drink.

When: December 6, 2012 at 8:30 pm (Doors open at 7:30)
Where: La Kazbah Lounge at 2147 P Street, NW

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Hank’s Oyster Bar was forced to close half of its patio seating, but with the ABC Board’d decision that will change tonight. (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Tom Hay. Questions for Tom? Send him an email at Tom[AT]borderstan.com. You can follow him on Twitter
@Tomonswann.

The Washington City Paper reported today that the District of Columbia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC) has ruled that Hank’s Oyster Bar did meet all three criteria for termination of the Voluntary Agreement (VA), which the Dupont Circle restaurant had been operating under since opening in 2005.

The ABC Board had first issued an order in 2010 allowing termination of the VA. That decision was appealed to the DC Court of Appeals by several of the original signatories who protested Hank’s alcohol license. The appellate court ruled in May 2012 that the ABC Board erred in their decision which prompted the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration to shut down half of Hank’s outdoor patio, just as the busy outdoor dining season was getting underway.Hank’s has posted on their Facebook page that full patio seating will be available tonight at 1624 Q Street NW.

The most recent order by the ABC Board allows Jamie Leeds, Hank’s chef and owner, to seat the patio dining area to full capacity. The partial closure of the patio prompted an online petition in support of Leeds and came just weeks before hearings on revisions to the District’s alcohol laws. The proposed legislation limits what may be included in a VA and also further defines who has standing to protest a liquor license.

See the related posts below for more information on the Hank’s saga.

Tom Hay covered a variety of business related topics in the area in 2010 plus stories on local government. (Luis Gomez Photos)

Last June Tom Hay began covering business in the Dupont-Logan-U Street area for Borderstan: real estate development, new businesses, profiles of store owners, and the regulatory process in which local business meets local government.

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19th St. and Dupont Circle NW: A closed-off entrance to the old underground trolley car facility. (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Tom Hay

Architect Julian Hunt has grand plans for the former trolley tunnels that run under Connecticut Avenue and Dupont Circle NW.

Hunt, who lives in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, presented the vision of the non-profit Arts Coalition for Dupont Underground (ACDU) to the public on Wednesday night. ACDU was one of two respondents to a request for proposal issued by the Office the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) in March 2010.

The other submission, a winery, was deemed unresponsive to the specifications of the RFP, although ACDU may include space for them in the concessions area of their plans.

Right Team at Right Time

Hunt opened the presentation by saying he believes that the ACDU proposal has “cut the Gordian knot” on bringing the underground back to life. Indeed the Coalition has assembled an impressive team of developers, architects and contractors. Each group spoke of their credentials and dedication to the project. Among the notable projects on their resumes are The Phillips Collection, The Spy Museum and GALA Hispanic Theatre.

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Corner of 19th St. and Dupont Circle NW: One of the closed-off entrances to the old underground trolley car facility. (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Tom Hay

There will be a public reception to hear details on the proposed redevelopment of the Dupont Underground this Wednesday, Oct. 20 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Dupont Hotel, 1500 New Hampshire Ave. NW.

The meeting will allow The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) and members of the development team to present their ideas and also allow the public to ask questions about the project.

The Dupont Underground is the nearly 100,000 square foot former trolley space under Dupont Circle. This would be at least the second serious effort to reincarnate the space that was closed in the 1960s. In the mid-1990s, a developer tried to revitalize the space as a food court, calling it Dupont Down Under — that project failed quickly with the developer going bankrupt.

A non-profit, The Arts Coalition for Dupont Underground (ACDU), has formed to shepherd the project through the process of redevelopment. According to their website, ACDU  is “…proposing to the D.C. government a phased, multiyear program to progressively fund, renovate, promote, develop programming for and administer the space.”

Uptown Arts Overlay is the official name given to the area by the DC Government. (DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs)

From Tom Hay

Last month Borderstan reported on the $200,000 grant awarded by the DC Neighborhood Investment Fund for branding and marketing of the DC Arts District centered around the 14th and U Streets corridors. In a series of three public meetings project leaders Andrea Doughty and Carol Felix presented the project goals and the time line for introducing brand concepts to the public.

Panelists presented their visions for the Arts District and the audience was encouraged to provide feedback after the presentations. We thought it would be time to bring you up to date on the status of the effort.

Street Graphics Competition

Next up is the street graphics competition, with deadlines for submissions due October 15. More details on the competition and meeting minutes from thee public sessions may be found at the DC Arts District blog. Street graphics would include light post banners, building facade banners, street tattoos and storefront signage.

Deadline for street graphics competition is Friday, Oct. 15. Three design concepts to be presented at Nov. 1 meeting at Longview Gallery.

The design elements would be installed by first week of December for the public kickoff to the branding campaign. An RFP has also been issued for banner production and installation. The budget for this portion of the project is approximately $75,000.

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Mother and daughter team, Etna and Nastassia, in front of their 9th Street NW boutique, just off U Street. (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Tom Hay

For Borderstan’s ongoing series on local entrepreneurs and retail businesses, I paid a visit with Etna and Nastassia, the mother-daughter team that owns Toucan Boutique at 1911 9th Street NW. We had met Etna during this year’s Dog Days sale on 14th Street, when their booth was set up next to our table.

Toucan Boutique opened in April 2010 and is one of the only clothing shops in their stretch of 9th Street. Just south of U Street, the area is home to many restaurants and bars and is also known as “Little Ethiopia.” Note to the guys out there: I had thought Toucan Boutique only sold women’s clothing, but they have a great selection of men’s shirts and outerwear, too.

Etna and Nastassia are originally from Brasilia, Brazil. Before Toucan Boutique opened, Etna had been a marketing director for Brazil Watch Publications and had always wanted to have her own business. Her daughter, Nastassia, who attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, was working in photo production before coming back to DC to join her mother in the business.

Borderstan: How did you select the 9th Street location?

Nastassia: I was living in the neighborhood when there had been a clothing store in this location and when I saw that the space was available, I jumped at the chance to add some diversity to this area’s businesses.

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DDOT held its first public meeting on the 14th Streetscape Project Sept. 29 at the Reeves Municipal Center. (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Tom Hay

Residents and business owners turned out to fill the second floor community room at the Reeves Center Wednesday night to hear details on the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) plans for the transportation and streetscape improvements on the 14th Street NW corridor.  Attendees were given a 25-page color handout of the Powerpoint presentation and scale drawings with block-by-block details were available on site.

The project does not take into account the possibility of a streetcar lines on 14th Street.

By the Numbers

The budget for the federally funded project is $8.5 million. The stretch of 14th Street from Thomas Circle to Florida Avenue that the project covers about a mile, 0.94 mile in fact. Currently the design process is at the 65% complete stage, with a scheduled design completion date of November 2010.

14th Street is 70-feet wide and plans call for:

• two 11-foot lanes of traffic in each direction
• 5-foot bike lanes—both north and south bound, adjacent to the traffic lanes
• 8 feet of parking/bulbouts on each side of the street.

What is a bulbout?

The project will incorporate many “bulbouts” at intersections and crosswalks. Essentially they are curb extensions at the corners of an intersection. Bulbouts allow for greater pedestrian visibility and safety by shortening the crosswalk distance. Bulbouts also expand the sidewalk area allowing more room for bus shelters, bike racks, streetlights, even outdoor café seating.

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