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Negotiations to approve a liquor license for Level, a tavern proposed for 315 H St. NW, are nearing an end, commissioners said at the November Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6C meeting.
Commissioner Charley Docter represented the commission in the negotiations, which have been ongoing for months. The application was slowed by neighborhood resident and commission concerns about noise and parking, among other issues.
The voluntary agreement outlining the compromises between the business owner and the commission was finalized and was expected to be signed by both parties, Commissioner Anne Phelps said at the meeting. At that point, the liquor license application would move forward for city review.
Although the contentious issue appeared to be nearing an end, not everyone was happy with what had transpired. A procedural motion to authorize spending for the hiring of an “acoustical engineer” irked Phelps, in particular, because the bill for that expert came in at nearly $3,450, or about $1,000 more than the limit previously set by the commission. Docter, who had handled the hiring, was not present at the November meeting, and the authorization vote for the expenditure was tabled until the December meeting to allow for an explanation for the higher-than-anticipated cost.
Commissioner Ron Silver said that signing off on the liquor license application could lead to a “potentially nightmarish situation” in the future, particularly if the license is transferred to new ownership down the road. The commission had previously voted to support the tavern application, pending signature of the voluntary agreement, and there was no new vote on the issue.
Maybe Next Time
Commissioners raved about Toscana Café, located at 601 Second St. NE, but they weren’t so thrilled about plans to add more seating at the site.
Restaurant representatives were seeking support for plans to add about 50 seats in two outdoor areas. The larger area, on the F Street NE side of the building, would be enclosed with an aluminum frame structure and a rolling canvas cover. The cover would be opened in the summer.
The commission’s transportation committee recommended voting against the plan because it would not be consistent with the area, committee co-chair Joe McCann said. He noted that the planned changes would obstruct the streetscape, in addition to not looking like “something that is appropriate for Capitol Hill.”
Restaurant representatives said they were willing to work with the committee to come up with a plan more in line with what area residents preferred, and the commissioners took no action on the application. However, commissioners didn’t seem to like the look of the planned cover.
The plans will be brought before city officials for approval in mid-December. The two sides said they would continue to seek a solution and then bring it up for a vote at the December ANC meeting.
Commissioner Tom Hamilton asked his colleagues to keep an open mind when the issue comes before the commission again.
“This is a wonderful place and a wonderful addition to the neighborhood, and let’s not allow our purist attitudes about historic preservation get in the way of common sense,” he said.
“There’s a place for those two things to meet,” Phelps countered.
A Large Addition to Seventh Street
A New York City-based restaurant’s plans to expand operations to DC secured preliminary support from the ANC. Carmine’s, an Italian restaurant, will open Carmine’s DC at 425 Seventh St. NW.
Phelps said the restaurant will have a substantial presence in the neighborhood. With a total of 720 seats, the establishment will create as many as 225 jobs in the city.
Commissioners voted unanimously to support the liquor license application associated with the restaurant, pending signature of the voluntary agreement. Phelps said the only outstanding issue was the hours of operation for the outdoor seating area. The restaurant will be in the ground floor of a residential building, she noted.
The commission was also quick to offer their support for NPR’s plans to renovate a building at 1111 North Capitol St. NE and move their offices there. The plans call for adding a new entrance to the building, removing a 1950s addition, and developing a public courtyard along the building to make the site more integrated into the community.
Developers will be seeking leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) gold certification for the project, so environmental sustainability was mentioned by NPR representatives as being an integral component of the design. The renovated building will be complete with green roofs.
Commissioners voted unanimously to support the project. Work is expected to begin on the renovation late next year and finish up in the spring or summer of 2013.
More Flexibility for Union Place
Commissioners briefly discussed the Union Place project, on the 200 block of K Street NE. Phase one of the project is expected to be completed in March.
The developers have asked for city approval of change to the maximum amount of gross-income tenants allowed for their units. The plan set that limit at 30 percent, but the developers have requested increasing that figure to 38 percent. That higher level was established by inclusionary zoning rules that were approved earlier in the year.
Phelps advocated for supporting the requested change because it would allow more flexibility for tenants. She noted that many of the tenants will be artists, with variable incomes, and a higher allowance of income spent on housing would allow them to stay in months when their income is lower.
“If they stay at this 30 percent and there isn’t in flexibility in that, then people would have to leave,” she said.
The commission voted unanimously to support the requested change.
Coming Soon
An Ethiopian restaurant is coming to H Street NE. Representatives of the planned restaurant for 401 H St. NE notified the commission that they are preparing for a liquor license application in the near future.
Details of the restaurant weren’t announced at the meeting, but commissioners seemed supportive of the plan to bring the food choice to the neighborhood. |
