ANC 2B Meeting

Business owners, residents and representatives under the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2B continued a heated discussion about what commissioner Will Stephens said police called an “oversaturation” point of businesses with late hours and liquor licenses at the ANC 2B meeting held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Brookings Institute. Approximately 43 people were in the audience when the meeting began.
When Joyce Njoroge and Eli Hurwitz, attorneys representing Rogue States, a 24-hour burger restaurant requested approval for a Full liquor license from the commission, resident Archis Parasharmi of Jefferson Condos stood to represent neighborhood concerns about noise levels, crowds and parking. Although Mr. Hurwitz claimed that the restaurant was a “similar operation” to the restaurant that had just been granted a Class “D” liquor license, Parasharmi disagreed,“ what’s very different is that this place is open until 5a.m. and that’s drastically going to affect [peace and quiet],” said Parasharmi.
In a post-meeting interview, commissioner Bhavana Patel mentioned an increasingly typical situation for Dupont residents, “they are living in a place where any given night people are pouring out on the streets drunk…police are overwhelmed,” she said. According to Patel, the commission is now more wary of granting liquor licenses to businesses due to a reported increase in crime on 17th street and late-night disruption on the P street corridor and other Dupont nightlife areas.
The commission motioned for Mr. Hurwitz, the owners of Rogue States and the concerned residents to come to a voluntary agreement about the conduct of the business before supporting a permanent license for Rogue States from the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA).
Tensions escalated again when the owner of Maza 14 restaurant on 14th street and his counselor requested permission for what the meeting minutes called a “substantial change to liquor license.” The change was so that Maza 14 could serve alcohol on the new rooftop seating which was approved by commissioner Ramon Estrada, a decision independent of the commission due to schedule disruptions from the snow the week before.
14th street resident Joel Losen spoke on behalf of the 81 residents petitioning against the rooftop addition and the license. He said the “dense population” around the restaurant would be disturbed, as would the residents of the building-in-progress that stands only 110 feet away. The Commission recommended a meeting with all concerned parties, including a commissioner from the ANC, to reach a voluntary agreement.
The apparent concern about liquor licensing in the neighborhood comes in the wake of a “Nightlife Summit” held recently, in which the police, representatives and residents came together to discuss issues of “peace, order and quiet,” according to interviews commissioners Parasharmi and Stephens after the meeting. Stephens mentioned some solutions that emerged to the “uptick in public safety issues,” in the neighborhood.
Stephens explained that police officers are hired on reimbursable detail, meaning they are assigned a particular business to patrol and are technically off duty, while the business and the city split the cost of their salary. He also mentioned efforts to create designated taxi stands and more valet parking.
After the meeting, commission Chair Mike Silverstein said, “We want the neighborhood to be both lively and livable,” he continued, “Community standards make it possible for restaurants to succeed and neighborhoods to sleep…both sides have to make [compromises].”
Earlier in the meeting, Lieutenant Scott Dignan of Police Service Area 208, the area under the jurisdiction of ANC 2B, presented a public safety update. “Overall, the PSA has hit its mark,” said Dignan, referring to an overall reduction in area homicides.
When commissioner Bob Meehan voiced concern about the rise in 17th street robberies, iPhones in particular, Dignan replied robbery rates have stayed the same for some time, but that people were just more aware of the numbers. Commissioner Silverstein expressed alarm about police and emergency vehicles that regularly cause traffic in the area. “When is the police department going to take a serious look at traffic?” said Silverstein.
But the overall tone of the meeting was respectful, particularly during announcements. The commissioners and ANC 2B executive director Freddie Blicher, met all who spoke before the ANC, including a representative for the national marathon, a speaker for the mayor’s Conservation Corps summer program and the Society of Nephrology with engaging questions and offers for letters of support.
When several requests for building additions, renovations or adjustments from architects and contractors came before the ANC, the commissioners dutifully consulted the Dupont Circle Conservancy (DCC), a volunteer organization dedicated to historical preservation. Some requests were postponed for further review by the DCC.
Commissioner Mike Feldstein presented the former president of the DCC, Rick Busch, with a plaque for his dedication. A very emotional Busch thanked him, “It’s a village,” said Busch, praising the group mentality of the ANC 2B.