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Commissioners vowed to fight to the end at the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6C October meeting on two proposed establishments.
They unanimously approved a motion to authorize Commissioner Anne Phelps to represent them before city agencies on efforts to reopen Oasis Liquors, located at 1179 Third St. NE. The building has been zoned residential since 1997, and Oasis has not been open for some time, although that last point is a subject of disagreement between the ANC and the owners of Oasis.
The owners have sought a use variance for the store that would allow them to operate in spite of the residential zoning, and they submitted tax records to city agencies this summer to strengthen their case. The tax records were claimed to show business from the site in recent years.
Phelps said their own evidence contradicts the claims, noting that the tax records show no tax activity onsite from 2005-2008. Phelps added that the tax forms also do not include support for the owners’ claims that they spent $30,000 on building repairs to prepare for reopening the store.
After commissioners voted unanimously to continue their fight against the reopening of Oasis Liquors, Commissioner Lena Brown said, “Take him down, Anne,” to Phelps.
Far From Over
Commissioner Charley Docter updated his colleagues on discussions with Pouya Yousefi, who is working to open Level, a lounge proposed for 315 H St. NW. Yousefi has applied for a tavern license for the establishment.
Docter said negotiations are still in the works, with noise and parking being the two major issues left to be resolved. The commission hired a “sound consultant” to advise the commission and Yousefi on how to keep noise from the lounge from being heard in the neighboring residential buildings or the street.
Docter said the consultant would cost between $2,000 and $4,000, although the commission’s resolution authorizing the hire placed a $2,400 limit on the consultant’s work.
The location’s proximity to a freeway exit fueled commissioner concerns about potential parking problems caused by the lounge. Docter said patrons of the lounge will drive to the establishment and put a further crunch on downtown parking.
In addition to parking and noise concerns, many commissioners said that Yousefi’s methods have it hard to work with him.
“He’s a very nice guy who would like to start out and not be told what to do by anybody,” Docter said.
On that topic, Docter noted that many details of the lounge, such as the number of floors it would occupy and where people would dance, have changed without ANC notification.
“There’s a whole bunch of things that keep happening here,” he said.
The ANC filed an 18-page document with city officials in October. The document outlined commission concerns about Level’s application and asked for more time to negotiate with Yousefi before the city weighs in on the application.
Docter said that unless the remaining issues are resolved, the ANC and Level neighbors may seek to bring the application to the courts.
A ‘Jewel’ or a Traffic Problem?
A man working near the Penn Quarter Farmers Market, held every Thursday afternoon on Eight Street NW, is leading an effort to rescind the market’s operating permit. The man has said that the market slows down traffic in the area, adding about 15 minutes to his driving time.
The ANC will listen to the request at this month’s transportation committee meeting, but the full commission unanimously approved a resolution in support of the 7-year-old market at the October meeting.
The resolution called the market a “jewel of the Penn Quarter,” but did not address the traffic concerns. However, commissioners did not seem to think complaints about the market were deserved, noting that city officials and others living and working in the neighborhood support the farmers market. Docter said the market averages 20 stalls and 5,000 customers per week.
Not Developing as Expected
To prevent further delay on the development slated for the 300 block of H Street NE, the ANC supported plans to scale back the development a bit. The modified proposal will be two floors shorter, reducing the number of residential units from 228 to 212, and the site will have about 100 less underground parking spaces than in the original plans.
The developer had said that without the changes to the project, work would have to be delayed for two years because of financial issues. To the delight of the commissioners, the updated plans retain a large grocery store on the main floor.
Commissioner Keith Silver also relayed rumors that the Donohoe Companies is considering changing its plans for development along Fifth Street NW. A team led by Donohoe was chosen by the city to build the 475,000-square-foot Arts at 5th and I development.
Donohoe agreed to take out vacant properties further up Fifth Street when it received the bid, and Silver said that that work could now be in jeopardy. Commissioners agreed to invite the developers and city planners to the November ANC meeting to receive an update on the project and ensure that the vacant lots on Fifth Street will still be addressed.
More Seats and Stop Signs
The commission unanimously supported some transportation-related changes. Café Berlin, located at 322 Massachusetts Ave. NE, requested a change to their outdoor seating arrangement. The proposal would add 10 additional outdoor seats without using more space.
The District Department of Transportation also received support for their proposal to convert three two-way stops into four-way stops. The intersections are at Fourth and A streets NE, 10th and K streets NE and Eighth and I streets NE.
Upon recommendation from the ANC 6C Transportation Committee, commissioners approved a resolution asking DDOT to take a comprehensive look at downtown traffic. Commissioners said they would seek support for their plan from other ANCs serving the downtown area.
A Cut to the Community
The North Capitol Collaborative recently lost half of its budget due to a District budget cut. Organization representatives said the collaborative, which has operated since 1998, stands to lose $500,000 per year because of the proposed cut. The commission approved a resolution supporting the collaborative, and sent a copy of the resolution to Mayor Adrian Fenty.
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