Valentine's Day Happenings

If you don't have plans for celebrating tomorrow's holiday, here are some ideas:

• Cork is having a champagne tasting at 3 p.m at a cost of $50 per person. Reserve your spot in advance by emailing info@corkdc.com.
  
  
• The Playbill Cafe has a special Valentine's Day dinner menu from $25 to $35 per person. All meals include salad, entree, chocolate cake and a half bottle of champagne.
  
  
• Even jaded anti-Valentine's folks can appreciate the Romeo and Juliet chocolate drinks at ACKC.

If you're looking for a last minute gift, it's easy to find something great without having to leave the neighborhood.

• ACKC is selling its offering heart-shaped gift boxes for their fabulous chocolates. They also have an assortment of gift items such as chocolate body paint and scented candles.
  
  
• Another neighborhood chocolate retailer is Localat on Florida Avenue. Perusing their Valentine's Day offerings online made me drool.
  
  
• Flowers on Fourteenth can put together a gorgeous bouquet far more interesting and fresh than the bundle of roses you were going to grab at Whole Foods.
  
  
• Our area abounds with great wine stores. Some to try: Best Cellars, Modern Liquors, and Bell Wine & Spirits. All of these stores have informed staff who will help you find something you will like. If, however, you're looking for further guidance, the Washington Post published some recommendations recently. See suggestions for sparkling reds here and port suggestions here.
  
  
• Finally, for gifts and cards, Pulp can not be beat. You will find both touching and hilariously crass cards in their selection. Pulp always has gift standbys such as bath products and scented candles. As well, you'll find some cute holiday-specific items such as a book of love poems by Nikki Giovanni, love rats (just go take a look if you're curious), and Boo-Boo Kisses bandages.

Bummer

While sitting in our living room late on Tuesday night, Mr. 14th & You and I saw the flashing blue lights of not an MPD vehicle, but parking enforcement. This civil servant came out at 11:45 p.m. to ticket two cars with Virginia license plates for failure to display DC tags. I'll never know, but I'm curious as to whether parking enforcement had been stalking these vehicles and knew that he could nab them around midnight or whether perhaps a neighbor turned in the out-of-state cars. Lastly, how does the city know that these cars belong to city residents who have simply failed to get DC tags? A car with out-of-state plates parked nightly on the street could belong to an overnight shift worker or the significant other of a neighborhood resident. Perhaps the owners had applied for temporary residential parking permits that had since expired?

On a somewhat related note, the DC Department of Public Works has determined that 12,834 vehicles are "boot eligible" due to non-payment of photo enforcement tickets. Parking enforcement is aggressively searching for these scofflaws in an effort to collect the nearly $2 million in speeding and red light fines they have racked up.

Too Cute

I spotted this walking by a house on the 1400 block of S Street NW.

More on The Space

Wow, The Space conflict has drawn a lot of comments. I do think, however, that we need to give some additional information and respond to some comments, so that all of those reading and commenting can better understand the hows and whys of this issue.

Voluntary Agreements
You have all seen businesses with their applications for alcoholic beverage licenses posted in front windows. Of course, the very reason that these applications must be posted publicly is to allow an opportunity for public comment. Any group meeting certain criteria can protest the license either before it is granted or before it is renewed. Also, a neighborhood group can elect to avoid a protest by requesting a voluntary agreement with the establishment. A voluntary agreement can include any terms that all involved parties agree to. If the members of a condominium association properly execute a legal agreement to not cook with garlic, it is enforceable regardless of how odd one may believe the provision to be. In the end, The Space is in violation of a legal document that it chose to sign. In the case of most contracts, a civil suit is the only way to force compliance. However, because of the way DC liquor licensing works, the voluntary agreement with The Space is on file with ABRA, and it has enforcement power as well.

Crackhouses and Other Woes
Yes, if there is a crackhouse down the street, it should shut it down. Yet, for all we know, residents have pursued action against the alleged crackhouse. It is quite possible that the police have been called and/or that complaints have been made to the appropriate DC agencies. It is also quite possible that the same people who have complained about The Space have taken action against the crackhouse. I and most of our commenters simply have no way of knowing. Also, a crackhouse down the road does not make what The Space is doing an more legal or ethical.

Residents, new to the neighborhood and well-established all care very much about crime. The new blog, Borderstan, which exists primarily to bring attention to crime issues, has been incredibly popular. As well, the ANC 2F Crime and Public Safety committee is quite active. If you attend meetings, you will find that as much time is given to crime as any other subject — even alcoholic beverage license requests. Being concerned about one topic does not make one any less able to be concerned about another topic. On this very blog, we often write about crime, but we also devote a lot of space to less serious topics like shopping and dining.

This Neighborhood vs. That Neighborhood
There have been liquor license protests launched by every type of group in every neighborhood in DC, even in areas known for nightlife. For example, the very well-known, quiet, high-end Georgetown restaurant 1789 could not build a deck because its neighbors objected to the potential noise from outdoor diners. On 17th Street in Dupont, you can not enjoy an alcoholic beverage outside after midnight due to voluntary agreements between the local ANC and area bars and restaurants. And though DC law does not require drinks to be off of the bar until 3 a.m., there are very few bars that can stay open that late due to restrictions placed on them by neighborhood groups. Love it or hate it, these restrictions are just a part of life in DC.

That said, these stipulations are not unique to DC. Alcoholic beverage control boards exist not just to extract licensing fees but to protect citizens from some of the negative impacts that bars, clubs, and restaurants can have. I would love to limit the potential for protests without merit to interfere with alcoholic beverage licensing. In this blog, we have written about voluntary agreement proceedings and protests that were excessively burdensome to local businesses (Black Cat, Stoney's, Queen of Sheba). But not all protests are created equal. It is unfair and illogical to equate the protest of a sleepless neighborhood resident to the protest of an ANC overly cautious about a small cafe adding seating.

Because of limited inspection resources, ABRA relies on citizen groups to provide information prior to and after licensing. It makes sense that Shaw, now more populous and active than it has been since the 1968 riots, is now home to more people who would protest an alcoholic-beverage license. Propensity to protest is probably correlated to factors like familiarity with the ANC, knowledge of DC regulations, comfort with writing complaint letters, and the amount of free time one has available to make a protest. There is nothing inherent in one's race that should increase ones likelihood of protesting, and I find it upsetting that one anonymous commenter feels the need to claim that there is.

Profit brings with it responsibility
The primary reason a business opens is for financial gain, therefore it behooves a potential business owner to do all that he can to mitigate loss. It is the business owner's responsibility to either learn all of DC's complicated codes in order to avoid fines and legal action or to hire attorneys to guide the process. If Mitchell Cox did not abide by applicable laws and regulations then he either failed to conduct his due diligence as a business owner or he hoped not to get caught. Either way, it is not the responsibility of his neighbors, the ANC, or the DC government to limit the damages to him from legal actions.

Also, when it comes to the inconveniences created by businesses — mostly noise, garbage, and crowds — the burden should fall on the business, not residents, to moderate those inconveniences. The party who receives the most benefit (profits) should bear the greatest costs. So, while The Space's neighbors could invest in white noise machines and sound proofing or plan to spend every weekend away from home, it does not make sense that for the limited benefit of one business on their block that they may or may not patronize that they bear those substantial costs and inconveniences. As well, in terms of overall economic burden, the net cost to the Space of modifying its building and operations is far less than the net cost to residents of home modification, sleeplessness, and loss in home value.

Most neighborhoods in DC have more homeowners than businesses. And many, if not most, of those homeowners regardless of their neighborhood prefer to be able to rely on some peace and quiet, particularly at night. Generally speaking, excessive noise lowers a property's values, even in dense urban areas. Just as we want to encourage business ownership in Shaw, we should also want to encourage potential homeowners to be comfortable enough to invest in the neighborhood. Even in Manhattan, I imagine there is limited demand for housing directly adjacent to un-soundproofed nightclubs.

If you like The Space . . .
and do not want to see it close, direct your anger at Mitchell Cox. There is nothing about our ANC or about DC laws and regulations that prevent him from operating an elegant club in Shaw. All he had to do was to operate legally and ethically. Personally, I'm not interested in patronizing The Space; it is just not to my tastes. That said, I would be more than happy if several such establishments opened up nearby provided they operated legally. Our immediate area would indeed benefit from more businesses.

Cox has become a bit of a lightening rod not only because of what he has done but because of how people feel he has treated them. He appeared at an ANC meeting swearing incessantly and violating the rules of order. It is hard to be sympathetic toward Cox or want to work with him when he has a record of such unpleasant public behavior.

Western Shaw will not only survive but thrive without The Space.
The Space is not the one critical pioneer business that will revive Shaw. Yes, Shaw has had a tough past and, no, it is not as safe, elegant, or commercialized as Georgetown. But within three blocks of The Space, Veranda, Azi's Cafe, Queen of Sheba, Vegetate, Old Dominion Brew House, and Corduroy are already well established. On the way is the new Giant/O Street Market complex and the Marriott convention center hotel. As for the allegation of one anonymous commenter that the young professionals living on and near 9th Street NW are anti-development, I have found that most people support development around the convention center. Surely anonymous has not been to the ANC meetings where residents are salivating to know when the ground will break for the hotel complex and the O Street Market. The thing is, a hotel with an underground ballroom and proper parking management is not going to keep nearby residents up all night.

Running Out of Space

February's ANC2f meeting promised not to be short on drama, what with the commission meeting to discuss, among other topics, the future of neighborhood members only public club The Space. We'll address the other issues discussed at the meeting in a later post, but for now we wanted to present a brief recap of the "Space issue" if for no other reason than the fact that this very blog was entered as evidence at the proceedings. An epic win for 14thandyou? Perhaps.

The Space, as you may recall, was the subject of much discussion at January's ANC meeting. Specifically, it was the target of much ire from a group of Shaw residents who live adjacent to or close to the club. Since no one from the club was present at the January meeting, the commission held off on making any decisions until Wednesday's meeting, where the club had an opportunity to present its side of the case.

In the eyes of this blogger, they would have probably been better off had they not appeared.

The ANC has no voluntary agreement with The Space, leaving it powerless to file a protest to suspend its liquor license directly. The Space does however have a voluntary agreement with the building next door, and with ABRA. The ANC can thus move to petition ABRA for a "show cause" hearing, which is essentially a hearing before the regulatory agency to determine whether or not the license holder is in violation of its voluntary agreement. If ABRA finds against the license holder, its license can be revoked--essentially shuttering the business.

The residents had several main complaints centered around the club's operations, namely that they run a club under false pretenses, that their operations were disruptive to the peace of the neighborhood, and that they were operating an illegal outdoor deck.

The evidence against the club--consisting of numerous photographs, voluntary agreements and contracts, and the testimony of numerous neighbors--was immense, and a spirited defense by the club would be needed in order to stave off ANC action.

Which is why it was so perplexing when the club's lawyer approached the commission and began reading from a printout of this blog. That's right, 14thandyou was introduced as evidence in support of the Space. Why was this blog brought up Wednesday night? Well, so that their lawyer could read a quote from an anonymous commenter who likened living in Shaw to living in Adams Morgan--in other words, don't complain about the noise from the club ya yuppies.

(Sidenote: Even *I* wouldn't use items from this blog for my own defense, and certainly not comments from anonymous commenters. It was truly theater of the bizarre. )

The rest of the Space's defense was anything but coherent. Their lawyer began by claiming that he had only learned of the meeting that afternoon; commissioner Charles Reed found this odd, seeing as how he had a phone conversation with owner Mitchell Cox over a week ago where the matter was discussed. Strike one.

The Space also maintained that they were a "members only" club in spite of the fact that their website advertises that it is "open to the public". Justin, the club's manager indicated that he believed that a "member" was merely someone who paid an entry fee of $5.

"That is a cover charge," Reed remarked "not a membership fee." One woman in attendance testified that she had entered the club for free and drank at the bar, leading Justin to remark "What, did you want us to charge you?"

Pretty strict membership criteria they have there, apparently.

The rest of the defense was no more believable: the music isn't too loud because Cox said it isn't. The deck may be illegal, but they don't allow drinking on it--in spite of multiple photos showing that they did. The club isn't responsible for the overflowing mountains of trash in back of their building, because for all Cox knows the neighbors have been sneaking over and putting their trash in his bins.

And on and on it went, with the commissioners growing increasingly skeptical of the Space's defense, and Cox growing increasingly agitated. At one point, Cox interrupted another speaker, leading Reed to slam down his gavel and declare Cox out of order. "Ah, fuck it" was Cox's response.

In the end, the ANC did the expected and voted unanimously to request a "show cause" hearing with ABRA, where the Space may very well be in danger of losing their license. Cox's indignant attitude at Wednesday's proceedings certainly did him no favors; if he hopes to avoid a license revocation before ABRA he might want to spend a bit more time polishing his defense.

As for the neighbors, a brief round of applause broke out after the ANC's decision. For them, Wednesday night was the first victory in what has turned into a protracted fight over a club whose owner just doesn't seem to get it.

Our Camera is Fixed

Just a quick not to apologize for the lack of photos on here recently. Our camera has been out of commission recently due to a dead battery and a "battery buying fail" on our part. Well, the battery arrived today so we'll try to start getting photos up again in our upcoming posts. Thanks for wading through the mountains of text in the meantime!

Franklin School and The Space

The Space, which has angered its Shaw neighbors, is once again on the ANC 2F agenda. The club, controversial for its noisy late-night operations in a residential area, has been subject to ABRA investigation but not to any enforcement action. For a little history of the conflict, read Mr. 14th & You's description of last month's ANC meeting here. Though the meeting will start at 7 p.m., this matter is not scheduled to come up for discussion until 7:45. If you are one of the residents affected by this club, make your way over to the Washington Plaza Hotel in Thomas Circle by then.

Another important item up for discussion this month is a proposal for the use of the Franklin School. Since the closure of the emergency homeless shelter this past fall, the building has not been in use. What will be interesting to see is not only what the proposal is, but whether Jack Evans, who expressed strong interest in redeveloping the property during campaign season, shows up. This agenda item is scheduled to be addressed at 8:45.

Speakeasy

I was surprised that Old Town Alexandria had a popular speakeasy before the 14th Street corridor. Thanks to Eric Hilton (Thievery Corporation, Marvin, Eighteenth Street Lounge) the Gibson has come to 2009 14th Street to plug the hole. Read the Washington Post's full review here for more information. It sounds like an interesting place; the cocktails are top shelf and imaginative, and the bar is the chilled-out sophisticated scene you would expect from Eric Hilton. Then there's the factor that appeals most to me: there is no standing room in the bar. In true speakeasy style, the Gibson only admits patrons when bar and table seating is available.

After only a few months in business the Gibson received many reviews on Yelp, most of them reactions to the psuedo-speakeasy environment. It seems that people either love it or think it's played-out. You may also want to check out the DCist review (which you probably missed on Christmas Eve) and the cocktail menu.

DC Encouraging Restaurants to Go Green

A District of Columbia agency is embarking on an effort to consult and assist with neighborhood restaurants--including those in and around Logan--who want to "go green" as part of a Greening DC Restaurants initiative.

Restaurants who are interested in participating in the program, which includes an operations assessment followed by in-depth workshops, may contact the program's manager at the Department of Small and Local Business Development.

We think that this is an excellent, proactive initiative on the part of the DC government (one of many progressive initiatives that our city is leading) and hope to see a number of restaurants taking advantage of it. As area places such as Commissary have shown, taking steps to be environmentally responsible doesn't have to involve significant cash expenditures or changes in operations.

The full text of the press release on the initiative is included below.

DSLBD Launches Greening DC Restaurants Project

The Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) has begun
assessing restaurants to help DC's neighborhood restaurants as part Greening
DC Restaurants, a project that offers free technical assistance to
restaurants operating in District neighborhoods. Restaurants located in the
central business districts also may participate if space permits.

A pilot project made possible by a partnership between DSLBD and GreenHOME,
Greening DC Restaurants begins with an initial assessment of business
operations in January and February, and continues with in-depth workshops
and consultations from March through May.

Through these assessments, workshops, and consultations with a green expert,
participating restaurant owners will learn how to reduce their operating
expenses, increase customer sales, and positively impact the environment by
making a minimal to moderate investment in changing their energy/water
usage, product and equipment procurement, and front-of-house operations.

An accompanying how-to guide will help DC restaurants implement both short-
and long-term changes that can significantly impact their bottom line,
reduce a business' ecological footprint, and improve the dining and working
environment for customers and workers.

To schedule an initial assessment and sign-up for the workshops, contact:

Camille I. Nixon, Project Manager
Department of Small and Local Business Development
(202)741-0894 or camille.nixon@ dc.gov.
,

Just Ignore the Unconscious Bleeding Guy Over There

Courtesy of DCist, from WJLA this morning comes a story that, while rare, seems a little too familiar. Seems that a homeless man got into a scuffle with a couple of other homeless men over a beer up in Columbia Heights. The argument escalates, and the next thing we see is the man laying motionless on the curb in front of a grocery store, knocked unconscious after being pushed into a parked van and striking his head. The man is not expected to survive his injuries.

That by itself would be bad enough, but as the video posted to the WJLA site shows, the man lay motionless on the ground for over 20 minutes before someone called for medical help. In the video we see people walking past, some noticing and others not. Even the owner of the van arrives with groceries, proceeds to load them into his car, and ignores the man laying there.

I've no real commentary to add to this, other than to remark on the obvious: this is a sad example of humanity.

For those who are wondering, the perpetrators have been caught and may be charged with homicde if the man dies.

Is DC "Cool"?

As always after a lull in posts, we feel compelled to offer up some explanation...alas, all I can say is "life". Busy at work and at home, and with a trip to the hospital to boot, makes for not a lot of time to keep the blog updated.

So that's why we thought it would be interesting to come back from our post-cation with a rather simple question: Is DC cool?

We only ask because the Post was asking this question over the weekend. It seems that with the arrival of President Obama, there is talk that DC might become a "cool" city, on par with places like New York, San Francisco or Chicago. But will we, really? And do we want to?

Consider, for instance, some choice quotes from "coolness experts" from the Post article:

"On a recent Washington vacation, he thought the city seemed too empty. "I spent a typical museum week in D.C. with my kids and you walk and walk and walk and it never feels dense," Gloor says. "In Times Square, you could walk on the heads of people."

"The buildings of official Washington make it feel too planned, too stretched out, too grandiose, too impressive. It's not organic enough, according to Gloor."

"...if this cool president manages to make the coolest people want to work for him and flock to the bureaucracy of Washington, he can change the city."


OK, these demand some kind of response. To begin, how can someone classify him or herself as an "expert" in cool? Doesn't that follow the if-you-have-to-ask-you'll-never-know line of thinking?

Next, since when is Times Square the definition of cool? As Mrs. 14thandyou so eloquently put it: "Letting a bunch of advertisers come in and take a dump in the middle of your city isn't cool." No, it's not. Granted, a lot of people flock to Times Square...but they're also typically the type of people bunching up at the bottom of Metro escalators with maps unfolded trying to figure out how to exit the damn Metro station.

And criticizing the feeling of being in a planned city seems a bit absurd, considering that DC is, well, a planned city. We have a Metro stop named after the French guy who laid out our streets after all. Slamming DC for being too "planned" is like getting all up in San Francisco's grill about being too hilly, or Chicago for being too windy. It's part of the city's character; to be rid of something like that would rid the city of much of its charm. It certainly doesn't help the density, but it does help make the city unique.

As to the last quote...well, I'll only say that I have a sneaking suspicion of the type of person being referred to as the "cool person" who might want to come work in our city now that Obama is here. Yeah, they would be the Democratic version of the Late Night Shots crowd, and this city needs more of them like it needs more exploding manhole covers.

Now, perhaps I sound a bit defensive, but that would be a misinterpretation of my stance. Personally, I've never thought of DC as a particularly hip or trendy city. Fashion trends don't begin here, musical movements aren't born here, and no one would mistake Logan Circle for Chelsea. But, come on. We've got the Capitol building and the White House; the National Mall and the Washington Monument; Dupont and Georgetown and Logan and U Street and H Street and Capitol Hill. We've got the National Cathedral, the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian; lots of very educated people doing educated (and not-so-educated) things, cultural opportunities galore and some great restaurants. In other words, we've got a lot. And we've got a lot that other cities don't.

So, is DC cool? Well, it's not New York-cool, or LA-cool, or Miami-cool. But DC has a coolness about it that existed long before Obama got here. It's probably what brought a number of people--such as myself--to the city in the first place. And while I could make do with a few fewer Asian fusion restaurants in Penn Quarter, there's not a whole lot about the culture of the city I would be quick to change. Especially not to meet some coolness expert's arbitrary definition of "cool".

NY Times Ponders the "Real DC"

For those who may not have seen it, the NY Times ran an article today discussing the revival of certain dilapidated DC neighborhoods, with a focus on the quality restaurants that are opening there. All in all, it's a pretty balanced portrait of our city.

Still, it seemed that the article might have missed its mark a bit by focusing only on restaurants that have opened within the last couple of years. It's great that places like Cork and Marvin have been successful and are getting good press, but what of the establishments that predate them? Reading the article, one might think that Logan and U street, for instance, were barely habitable until 2007...which of course leaves out the growing number of restaurants, pubs and shops that have been opening up here over the last decade. And are we the only ones that feel Cakelove is waaay overrated?

On the flip side, it's refreshing to read an article about our neighborhood that doesn't mention Ben's Chili Bowl. Don't get us wrong, we enjoy Ben's greasy half smoke-fest as much as anyone, but our neighborhood has grown so much that it no longer needs to be defined by the one business that has managed to survive the neighborhood turmoil.

Our favorite quote in the article?

"She’s consulting on the Mexican menu for the H Street Country Club, which is supposed to open in February. It will feature an irony-laden miniature golf course that requires putters to work through the swinging briefcases of K Street lawyers and shoot around Marion Barry, the former mayor and councilman.“The D.C. culture has evolved now to a point where we can be proud of it,” said Lee T. Wheeler, the artist who designed the course."

Shooting golf balls at Marion Barry? Who wouldn't love that?

The January ANC Meeting: Inauguration Madness!

It was a dark and stormy night, but that didn't stop a standing-room-only crowd from attending the first ANC2f meeting of 2009, and with good reason: with the inauguration now less than 2 weeks away, and a multitude of questions surrounding issues related to parking, business operating hours and security the community has a lot of interest in the discussion and decisions that will be coming down this evening.

We've already written about the decision by the ANC not to protest the applications of businesses in good standing with the ANC who wish to partake in the extra hours for the inauguration, so I'll cover some of the other issues that came up at Wednesday night's meeting.

People Who Live Near the Convention Center Are $%#@ed

Sorry to be Debbie Downer here, but that was really my only take-away from the information we were getting this evening. It seems that, due to the 400-or-so inaugural balls that will be held at the Convention Center, the Secret Service will be setting up security checkpoints around the Convention Center and areas where Obama will be showing up (such as Union Station); residents in these areas must provide proof that they live in area: a driver's license, utility bill, mail, etc. will suffice. If you have people from out of town staying with you, you will need to stay with them, otherwise they won't be allowed into the secure area. Mike Bernardo mentioned that during past inaugurations there have been problems with residents getting to their own homes without IDs. In other words, don't expect the Secret Service to follow you back to your house and watch you try your house key.

The official line from the city is that they are now anticipating 2 million people coming into District--better than the 4 million we had been hearing earlier, but about four times the number of people that typically show up for the 4th of July celebration. The District will be closing several bridges and making one all bridges pedestrian- and bicycle-only into and out of Virginia.

Also, if you live in Logan Circle--or pretty much any place in the central city--parking is likely going to be a nightmare for you. In case you've been living in your cave (or poorly lit English basement) for the last three months, you've probably heard that the parking restrictions in the central city will run north to P Street, which is bad news for the people who live south of P and will need to relocate their cars, and for those of us who live north of P who will likely be the recipient of said cars. Our suggestion: park your car by next Wednesday, and don't touch it. Otherwise, you may end up having to park in Deanwood or something. And nobody wants that.

Believe it nor not, there were other topics addressed other than inaugural/end-of-life-as-we-know-it issues, including

Dustin Cole's Vendetta Against Whole Foods

OK, we'll admit that "vendetta" might be a tad strong, but really--the oddest point in the night had to be when Commissioner Cole interrupted the otherwise-routine approval of the agenda to request that an item be added to discuss Whole Foods' "violation of the District's single-sales ban." Visibly perplexed, ANC Chairman Charles Reed inquired with Commissioner Cole how he knew tht Whole Foods was violating the single-sales ban.

"Because I've seen them." came the response.

At this point, two things were noted by Reed and Commissioner Matt Raymond: that the ANC and Whole Food were parties to an agreement that allowed Whole Foods an exemption to enforcement of the single-sales ban, and that ABRA was respecting that agreement.

It's unclear whether or not Cole was aware of the agreement before moving to have the item added to the agenda, but at this point it should have been obvious that a discussion on the matter that evening would serve no real purpose. Undeterred, Cole pressed on, asking for the item to remain because we wanted a "discussion" followed by "possible action" against Whole Foods. Reed inquired as to whether a representative from Whole Foods had been notified that Cole was planning on raising the issue this evening; Cole responded that he had spoken with the store manager, but had not specifically notified them that a potential for action against the store would arise at the ANC meeting.

More back-and-forth continued, with Raymond reminding the Commission of the importance of "due process" and of having a representative from Whole Foods at the meeting to answer any charges that may be leveled. Reed reiterated that he wasn't sure why there needed to be a discussion to begin with. Still, the discussion pressed on, eating up nearly 15 minutes of time at the meeting.

Ultimately, the issue was tabled until the February meeting. It was truly one of the odder events I've seen transpire at an ANC meeting--and I've seen a number of them. Maybe Cole had a similar experience at Whole Foods as we did, getting a "fresh" turkey for Thanksgiving that ended up being frozen?

"The Space" Is Not a Good Neighbor

"Imagine coming home on Thursday evening and knowing that you won't sleep again until Sunday."

That was testimony from one of the many neighbors of Shaw nightclub "The Space" who came to protest the club owner's behavior--and ABRA's lack of enforcement against it.

It seems that the "private" club operating at 9th and and N streets isn't quite so private. The club is over-capacity most evenings, ignores noise regulations and, perhaps most annoyingly, operates an illegal outdoor deck the resides mere feet from the bedroom windows of its neighbors. The owner of the club is an Australian with a bad temper (he has been arrested for assaulting one of the neighbors whom he thought called the police against him) who doesn't--or doesn't care to--have a good grasp of the protocol necessary for keeping his club operational. (For instance, he failed to show at an ABRA hearing on the aforementioned deck, leading to a dismissal of the application.)

Even more infuriating was the fact that an ABRA inspector visited the property over the summer, took pictures, admitted that there appeared to be violations, then...nothing.

Unfortunately, problems arose when the discussion turned to potential actions that the ANC could take against the club. The voluntary agreement that the residents brought with them was between their building's landlord and the club owner--the ANC was not party to it. It could not be determined whether or not the ANC had an agreement with the Space.

Everyone agreed that the current situation was untenable, and the ANC agreed to move forward to find out if they did have a VA with the club, and also to explore possibilities for filing an emergency protest to get the club's liquor license pulled immediately. Chairman Reed however was not optimistic about this line of action, and wanted the ANC first to determine the existence of a VA with the club and to follow all proper channels so that ABRA "wouldn't have a reason NOT to follow through on a protest."

This matter will certainly be raised again, likely at the February meeting. In the meantime, The Space's neighbors are looking at a minimum of several ore weeks of obnoxious and antagonistic behavior from the club. We'll be following up with a later post on this issue as things develop.

There were other matters addressed at the meeting, but by this point Mr. 14thandyou--who hadn't yet had dinner--needed to excuse himself from the proceedings. It was certainly a fun night for all involved...

ANC2f Votes For Across-the-Board Exemptions on Inaugural Weekend Hour Restrictions

Lots of interesting happenings at last night's ANC2f meeting that I'll get to in another post, but for now I wanted to pass along what was likely the biggest news of the evening.

Last night, the Logan Circle ANC voted unanimously that they would withhold any protests against most neighborhood establishments who have voluntary agreements with the ANC who petition ABRA for an operating hours extension during the inaugural weekend.

Not every establishment might be able to benefit from this vote however, as the ANC indicated that they would reserve the right to protest any establishment located north of L Street that had outstanding complaints filed against it (by the ANC). Additionally, the ANC singled out oft-criticized Shaw nightclub "The Space" and indicated that they would file a protest should that club file for an hours extension. (More on that in a later post.)

This is very good news for area businesses who won't be forced to operate at a disadvantage against other District establishments. Additionally, kudos to the ANC for maintaining some perspective and using common sense in deciding this.

The decision didn't come without some controversy, but not from the angle you would expect. It seems that businesses who had applied for an hours extension through ABRA were told that they should show up at the ANC meeting in order to obtain the ANC's blessing and a letter indicating that a protest would not be filed against them. Upon learning that the ANC was prepared to move forward with motion that would cover essentially ALL neighborhood businesses, and not just those in attendance at the meeting, several objections were raised. Be Bar's representative was the most vocal; he practically through a fit during an exchange with Chairman Charles Reed where he complained that he had to spend his time at the meeting while others who did not would enjoy the same benefits. Life just isn't fair sometimes, but it seems some people haven't gotten the message. (Strangely, ANC Commissioner Dustin Cole took up this ridiculous argument, unnecessarily prolonging the discussion by at least 5-10 minutes.)

In the end, common sense prevailed and it seems that most Logan Circle establishments will be allowed to keep their lights on and their taps flowing for a few extra hours over the inauguration weekend. So, cheers to that. [clink] [clink]

ANC 2F Monthly Meeting Tomorrow

The monthly ANC meeting for Logan Circle is coming up tomorrow night. View the agenda and location information here. Of particular importance this month, the ANC will be considering whether or not to waive business hours restrictions during the inauguration for alcohol-serving establishments stipulated in voluntary agreements. As for our thoughts on "voluntary" agreements, IMGoph pretty well summed it up in a recent DCist comment:

voluntary agreements—one of the most orwellian terms in DC governance.

there's nothing voluntary about these things. the neighborhood groups figuratively stick a gun to the head of the establishment's owner and say "meet our demands, or we will make sure you are not able to function as a business."

it's a shame that, yes, these bars, restaurants, what-have-you should be able to go to the neighborhood and say, "please, could we stay open an hour later for a couple nights," and promise to make sure things stay quiet, etc., but that's basically impossible. there will always be at least one NIMBY that screams "no!"