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An application by the Southwest Safeway at the Waterfront Metro stop precipitated a lengthy discussion during the July meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D about the substandard quality of the only supermarket easily available to local residents.
The grocer, after a drawn-out negotiation with the developer of Waterfront Station, the former Waterside Mall, signed a lease to move into a new 55,000-square-foot facility at the same site once construction is completed next spring. They have applied to the Alcoholic Beverage Regulatory Administration (ABRA) for a license to sell beer and wine (Class B) at the new store, ABRA will consider the request Aug. 24. The ANC voted to protest the license in order to have standing in the case, making clear that it is committed to developing a voluntary agreement with Safeway that will satisfy the needs of residents of the surrounding community.
Commissioner David Sobelsohn, who has been instrumental in organizing an ANC-sponsored task force on deteriorated conditions at the current Safeway, questioned whether, judging by conditions at the current establishment, the new store will be able to adequately respond to community needs. The task force, for several months, has been attempting to get the store’s management to undertake such activities as cleaning the store, posting prices in the produce department, increasing the number of cashiers, providing rain checks for merchandise not in stock and developing a consistent policy to make the restrooms, currently the only ones at the mall site, available to customers.
Commissioner Ron McBee pointed out that there has not yet been, and has to be, a serious dialogue with the store’s managers. He said that task force members had visited the new Safeway at Alabama Avenue SE and were impressed with what the new store can be and the current one is not.
Commission Chairman Andy Litsky pointed out that the new store will be the crown jewel of Safeway’s DC stores, and while they are still in the design process, Safeway executives should meet with the ANC’s task force so that the store will be worthy of the neighborhood. He said that after lobbying so hard to keep the grocery in the community, it should serve residents’ needs.
Members of the audience were divided on whether the store should be granted its license, citing both its inability to be responsible to the community, and the need for a nearby place to purchase wine and beer.
Former ANC Commissioner Mary Williams spoke to the need for good security at the store and was assured that it would be included as a condition in the voluntary agreement. The ANC voted to hold a large community meeting before Sept. 30 to discuss the problems with the store and the future voluntary agreement.
Liquor License Request for Building Next to Marriott Hotel
A small building at 156 L St. SE, which was originally a liquor store and left standing when the Courtyard by Marriott and the apartment house behind it were developed, will be torn down and replaced with a new liquor store, Parkway Liquors, if the owners are granted building permits and a license to operate. With plans for a deli/grill on the second floor of the proposed two-story building, and a high-end Class A liquor store on the first floor, the ABC will hear the application Aug. 3. The owner, Yung Park, is the former owner of Bernstein’s Liquors at 25 M St. SW, which was torn down earlier this year.
The request for ANC 6D support is complicated by the existence of a previous voluntary agreement signed with someone planning to open a store in the same space who eventually sold the building to the current owner. Because of that, the commission voted to protest the license, with the condition that it will renegotiate the voluntary agreement signed by the previous owner. Because the ANC does not meet in August, both this agreement and the one negotiated for the Safeway cannot be voted on until the ANC’s September meeting.
ANC Elections Legislation
As part of a bill amending DC’s election law, Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh introduced legislation that would have changed ANC elections from November to the September primary. She subsequently removed those provisions from her bill. However, at the time of the ANC’s meeting, the commissioners had not received final word that the legislation was moot, and the commission joined other Ward 6 ANCs in voting for a resolution, written by Commissioner Sobelsohn, opposing the legislation on the grounds that it would turn a non-partisan election into a partisan one, that it would considerably depress turnout, and that it would do nothing to mitigate the problems with accurate elections that Cheh’s bill sought to cure. The commission voted to support the bill.
Briefly
The ANC voted to support the street closings for a health fair sponsored by the South Washington/West of the River Family Strengthening Collaborative, which will take place Sept. 12.
The ANC voted to support the annual AIDS Walk, scheduled to come through a non-residential portion of the ANC area Oct. 3.
The ANC voted to ask the Office of the Attorney General for an opinion on whether an expenditure the commission supported at its June meeting to provide funds for book bags and school supplies for local children complies with the ANC law.
Chairman Litsky reported that the ANC has exceeded its 2009 budget for grants. A question was raised about the possibility of increasing the budget allotment.
New Meeting Location
In keeping with a commitment made many months ago to move its meeting locations to various venues throughout the ANC’s area, the next meeting of the commission will be held Sept. 14, 7 p.m., at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, 140 L St. SE, in the Admiral Rooms on the Second Floor. Call 202-554-1795 or visit www.anc6d.org for more information.
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