Adams-Morgan comes to T Street, Courtesy of the Post Office Bistro

Here's an exciting piece of news that you may have missed over the last couple of weeks: T Street has become Adams-Morgan.

Thart's right! The four block stretch along 18th Street notorious for its late night bars, nightclubs and restaurants has packed up shop and relocated south, to a commercial space near the corner of 14th and T streets. Adams-Morgan will henceforth be known as the Post Office Bistro, and will be reborn as a casual restaurant serving an extensive weekend brunch with a patio and summer garden. The neighborhood/restaurant will also be owned by someone with ties to New York, which unfortunately does not coincide with the arrival of a decent bagel shop.

Skeptical? So were we, until we saw this flyer (courtesy of Prince of Petworth) and its attendant exclamation points, noting that the arrival of the Post Office Bistro meant the end of T Street as we know it.

Some of the highlights of the flyer, which was put together by Elwyn Ferris, partner of ANC2B commissioner Ramon Estrada, and another neighborhood resident, include:

"URGENT! A New York investor plans to turn the Old Post Office building on T Street into a destination, special events venue under the guise of a "restaurant"! DO NOT BE FOOLED!"

"T Street will never be the same again"

"Only massive, unified opposition from by us (the residents who have to live here) has any hope of stopping this disaster!"

"The Post Office Bistro wants to eat your children and destroy your flower garden!"

OK, that last one was mine--I guess I was just a little caught up in the moment. But the rest of those hyperbolic statements were taken directly from the flyer itself.

Now, here's the thing: anyone who has read this blog over the years knows that we tend to fall somewhere in the middle when it comes to negotiating voluntary agreements with area liquor license holders. These businesses absolutely impact the lives of nearby residents by the very nature of their operation, and thus the residents have a right to at least attempt to mitigate some of the potentially negative impacts.

But there is a process for that: the negotiation of a voluntary agreement, frequently through the local ANC. A well-designed VA helps mitigate factors such as noise, trash and parking, which can have significant impacts on nearby residents, while encouraging the opening and success of a business that will continue the growth of the 14th Street corridor into the vibrant, energetic corridor that many of us enjoy.

Needless to say that vitriol and hyperbole, such as that found in this flyer, are tremendously unhelpful. Not only does it poison the negotiation process and serve to harden most neighborhood residents (and ABRA) against anything that involves a "protest" against the establishment, but it is written to portray all neighborhood residents as being vociferously against a business that a) many residents likely support, and b) helps build the character and dynamic of our neighborhood.

If you support the opening of the Post Office Bistro, and want to ensure that the process of negotiating a sensibile agreement with the establishment is not hijacked by a handful of loud, resourceful opponents, then make plans to attend tonight's ANC2B meeting, being held at the first floor of the Brookings Institution at 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW at 7:30 this evening.

Additional information can be found on ANC2B's website.

Today: Vote Early, Vote Often

So, there's a little election going on today, and more is at stake then simply crowning Vince Gray leader of our constitutionally prescribed federal district. There are some contested ANC races (including several with potential ramifications in and around the 14th and U areas), City Council seats up for grabs, and an amendment that would grant the residents of DC the right, beginning in 2014, to elect DC's attorney general. A quick recap:

In area ANC races, several are worth watching. In ANC1B, Peter "The Commish" Raia is being challenged by not one but two residents for his seat on the ANC-- Tucker V.E. Gallagher and Aaron Spencer. Raia has been a controversial figure of sorts along U Street due to the ongoing debate about the volume of bars and restaurants along the corridor--although over here at 14th & You, we have to wonder if anyone could be non-controversial while heading up ANC1B's Liquor Licensing Committee.

A bit south and west, ANC2B is hope to another contested race involving a controversial figure. Ramon Estrada, who has served in the role for eight years and is seeking reelection, is being challenged by Sunit Talapatra. Estrada withstood a challenge to his seat in the 2008, so it will be interesting to see whether he survives another race, or whether those dissatisfied with his representation are successful in voting him out.

Finally, in ANC2F, in addition to a contest for a seat being vacated by current commissioner Andrew Werth, commissioner and Community Development Committee chair Mike Bernardo is being challenged for his seat by Kate McMahon. As individuals who are residents of ANC2F and thus very familiar with Mike's tenure on the ANC, we can personally vouch for his work as a Commissioner--and quite frankly, nothing in Kate's interview with Borderstan would sway us to her candidacy. So, I suppose this becomes our 14thandyou's first quasi-endorsement of a candidate.

Moving away from the ANCs, another issue on the ballot worth considering is the so-called "Attorney General amendment," which would allow the residents of DC to elect their attorney general, rather than have the AG appointed by the mayor. The Washington Post's editorial board and current AG Peter Nickles oppose this idea, which is reason enough for many to support it. Does it risk turning the AG into a political position? Of course it does. But having an AG independent of the mayor's own political agenda wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

Finally, there are a few City Council seats up for grabs--including Ward One's Jim Graham--but it's unlikely that any will change hands. We're still pretty much a one-party town, after all.

Oh yeah, and there's that pesky Fenty write-in campaign that continues to plod along...

If you're not sure of the location and hours of your nearest voting station, DC's Board of Elections website can help you with that. Now, get out there and exercise your civic duty.

Meet the man who wants Ramon Estrada's ANC seat

For the past eight years, Ramon Estrada has represented the constituents of ANC2B09. During that time he has cultivated his share of admirers and detractors for his strong positions and occasionally outspoken views. Love him, loathe him, or feel ambivalent, there's no denying that Estrada has played an integral role in the ongoing transformation of the 14th and U Street corridors throughout the past decade.

Now, however, Estrada finds himself in somewhat unfamiliar territory, for himself and most ANC commissioners: he's in a contested race.

Sunit Talapatra, a resident of the 1400 block of Swann Street NW, will be challenging Estrada for the ANC2B09 seat on the November 2 election. Given that Estrada has been something of a lightning rod in neighborhood politics over the past eight years, you might expect his challenger to be something of raging anti-Estradaite: pro-liquor license, anti-voluntary agreement and generally less confrontational. The differences between the two candidates, however, are a bit more subtle. Recently, 14thandyou had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Mr. Talapatra over coffee at the Mid-City Caffe to find out why he's running, what he'd do differently, and what he thinks about nightclubs with rooftop decks staying open until 5 AM. (Hint: he's not a fan.)

14thandyou: What initially drew you to the neighborhood?
Sunit Talapatra: In 2002, I was looking for a new place to live in DC, and I had narrowed by choices down to Georgetown, Adams-Morgan and Logan Circle. Georgetown felt a bit too established, while Adams-Morgan felt like a place I had passed in my life. In Logan however, I found a neighborhood that was being revitalized, wasn't unsafe, was walkable and central to everything. It had all of the aspects i was looking for in a neighborhood. I ended up buying a place near 14th and P, where I lived with my wife until we had children and needed more space, which is why we moved up to Swann Street.

14th: Why elect to run for the ANC2B seat now?
ST: Now that I've lived in the neighborhood awhile and have gotten to know the history, it's so much more interesting watching the things change, and I want to be a part of it. I want to be involved in the back-and-forth between the residents, businesses and the city, to foster partnerships between those group. And I want to be informed.

14th: Ramon Estrada seems to invoke rather strong feelings from those who have observed neighborhood politics over the years. Are you running against Mr. Estrada, or are you simply running for a seat that happens to be occupied by him?
ST: There's nothing that Ramon has done that makes me want to say "stop". In fact, I admire his years of civic service to the residents of the neighborhood. There's not much substantively different between us; ours is really a difference of style. I'm not challenging him because of who he is, there are simply some things I would do differently. For example, the ANC plays such a substantial role in the experience of residents in the neighborhood, but there's so little reporting on what the ANC is doing or why it's doing it. My focus is going to be on communication between residents and the ANC--to hold regular meetings with residents of my single member district (SMD), which is currently not being done; to own and operate a blog communicating what the ANC is doing; and so forth.

14th: A question that gets discussed frequently, on this blog and elsewhere, is the proper role of ANCs in the regulation of commerce in the neighborhood. What do you think is the appropriate role for an ANC commissioner to play in regards to regulating businesses in the neighborhood?
ST: I believe that the role of the ANC commissioner is to communicate the viewpoint of the SMD as a whole. One, two or three people should not be able to hijack an ANC, and a commissioner should be able to separate his or her own personal views from those of the SMD. If, for instance, I polled my constituents and discovered that they were supportive of a nightclub having a rooftop deck open until 5 AM, I would vote to support it. Although you can believe that I would be at every ABRA meeting as a neighborhood resident opposing it.

14th: Reading the candidate's statement on your Facebook page, you made a comment that I found interesting. You stated that you are "literally up at night thinking about ways to keep the noise and traffic off our streets." Can you expound on that?
ST: Actually, think I said that the traffic is keeping me up at night. (Ed.note: it is in fact the former.) But there's really not much you can do to keep noise and traffic off of 14th Street. I would like to increase the use of public transportation--Metro, MetroBus, the Circulator line--which would help keep fewer cars off the street. And I'm very supportive of the 14th Street streetscape project, with wider sidewalks that will hopefully increase foot traffic.

14th: In your candidate statement, you discuss the importance of building "healthy, respectful relationships" between businesses and residents. What do you think are the hallmarks of a healthy, respectful relationship?
ST: Well, for one, "no" is not an acceptable answer. You cannot go to a business owner who has the lawful right to do something and simply tell them "no." You should adopt a posture of cooperation. Businesses can help raise property values and improve the quality of life in a neighborhood, whereas restaurants need residents to patronize their establishments if they are going to succeed and prevent the neighborhood from deteriorating. If you say "no" to a proposed restaurant, you need supporting evidence beyond simply proximity. You need to take the pulse of the residents of your neighborhood when making a decision. It's not easy--this takes work.

14th: Speaking of restaurants, one thing that I've increasingly heard from people is that they feel the voluntary agreement process is flawed. So, do you think VAs work?
ST: Well, with VAs, it's pretty clear that most residents like them, and most businesses don't, mainly because they don't view them as "voluntary." I think there are aspects of the VA process that need to be changed. Otherwise, we risk losing businesses throughout the neighborhood.

14th: I don't know how much you have been following the efforts to brand the neighborhood as an "arts district." (Note: more info here.) Do you have any thoughts on that?
ST: Honestly, I haven't been following it very closely. However, I do believe that branding can help establish a community's identity.

14th: What would your message be to someone considering a move to the 14th and U street area?
ST: I would tell them that it's a fantastic neighborhood with everything you could want in an urban neighborhood: wide sidewalks, boutiques, restaurants, farmer's markets, professionals, artists. It's a very diverse neighborhood--i think the word I would use is "bohemian." It's a great neighborhood for people who don't want to live in the suburbs!

14th: Any final words you'd like to share with people regarding the upcoming election?
ST: I think the neighborhood needs a commissioner who can harness the wave of excitement surrounding our neighborhood. And I'd encourage people to visit my campaign website, www.sunitforanc.weebly.com.