Hill Rag

H Street In His Image

Joe Englert's Audacious Bar and Restaurant Proposal: Boom or Bust?

by: Gabriel Pacyniak

The moment is ripe for Washington's Next Big Neighborhood, and Joe Englert is about to strike. Englert, the man behind Lucky Bar, The Big Hunt, Capitol Lounge, State of the Union and a string of Washington nightspot successes running back to the late 80s is going in heavy on H Street, NE. H Street, the long-stagnant corridor crossing the heart of northeast, home to fine men's clothiers, lazy Saturday afternoon nail salons and rowhouses selling for $400,000 to newly-minted Capitol Hill attorneys. Englert is looking to take the snowball that is the just-restored Atlas Theater and the two-year old H Street Playhouse and send it tumbling down the mountain, because he is making his own density, dropping eight bars-cum-restaurants at once, seven in a three block span. And he is confident that others will follow: gourmet chocolatiers and independent record labels, and that this will be Washington's next art district, a charismatic center of creativity and consumption.

And some of the people who have lived off of H Street around the 1300 block for 10, 20, 30 years have heard that these ... nightclubs are coming, and some have even heard that there will be nudity, and they are wondering if this is going to be what they get after spending years to make the neighborhood decent. And even some of the newcomers, the attorneys and committee clerks that are starting families, they wonder if this is going to turn eastern H Street into a de-facto Adams Morgan.

Others can't wait until Englert sets up shop, confident that this will be the shot in the arm that finally revives H Street’s commercial core.

The majority, perhaps, simply wants to know, what exactly is this going to look like? And how will it change H Street?

Holding Pattern on H

The H Street corridor runs from North Capitol St., up over the gulf of railroad tracks that roll into Union Station, and then straight for about a mile and a half down to Hechinger Mall at 17th St NE.

“This was once a prime commercial strip in the city,” says Anwar Saleem, the animated owner of the Hair Rage salon who also serves as the chair of H Street Main Street. “But the riots hit H Street hard,” he trails off, walking past some of the corridor's 65 abandoned storefronts. Saleem explains how H Street, like other inner Washington neighborhoods, was devastated after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. “After it was all over, a lot of the shop owners picked up and left. So did many of the affluent residents, both white and black.”

The disinvestment did have one silver lining, he continues. “Even though many of the retail stores on H Street served black customers before the riots, most of the shop-owners were white. After the riots it gave black businessmen a chance to own the businesses themselves.”

Those businesses give H Street its character as a lively, if sometimes sparse, African-American retail corridor today. This includes establishments like Smoky's barbershop, owned by Eddie Maye, with a long row of chairs extending back among a clutter of photos and bright florescent lights. Down the street is the Men's Fashion Center, which sells flashy designer suits, custom hats and exotic shoes in a rainbow of colors to who Assistant Manager Steven Davidson calls “the old-time, church-going crowd.”

Unfortunately, there is another part of H Street's identity beyond the variety of specialty retailers: homeless men and women loitering on street corners, a persistent drug trade and rundown, blighted real estate.

While local community groups and the District government have been working for years to upgrade infrastructure, attract new businesses and address quality-of-life issues, those efforts have not been able to achieve a sustainable momentum until recently.

Following a citywide pattern, residential property values started to accelerate five years ago as the demand for urban living grew. Now, major commercial and residential development is tumbling down the pipeline, including a new headquarters for the federal Securities and Exchange Commission and over 1,500 residential units. Mayor Anthony Williams has also zeroed in on the corridor, allocating funds for a complete streetscape makeover and new transportation options as part of his “Great Streets” initiative.

How Joe Made His Bones

While H Street was fighting blight and crack cocaine in the late 1980s, Joe Englert was fighting the stale nightlife of

Washington. Originally in DC to pursue journalism, the socially-adventurous

Englert quickly tired of the options available to night-crawlers. “Back then there wasn't very much going on ... there were only a few spots to go to hear music, and it had to be Morrisey or the Violent Femmes,” shrugs the now-fortyish Englert, still game-faced, slightly disheveled and full of energy.

Flashing his independent, risk-taking streak, Englert took a sideline into nightclubs. In one early attempt, he signed a 15-month lease on the back-room space of the old Rothschilds Cafeteria with two acquaintances. They named the locale 15 Minutes, a double pun on Andy-Warhol's 15-minutes of fame and their insider's prognosis. “We thought we would be lucky if the place lasted the 15 months [of the lease term],” laughs Englert in a high-pitched, percussive chortle. “It ended up staying open eight, nine years.”

A 1990 Washington Post review of the club references chairs painted with skull-and-bones, black-velvet kitsch portraits of soul icons and philosophy snippets written in invisible ink on the walls. Patrons competed to suggested month-long club themes, the food was inexpensive and the playlist could include 80s electronica, progressive rock and hip hop on the same night. It is a good reflection of the Englert aesthetic, well-suited to DC's unique brand of policy-headed barflies. Omnivorously curious, Englert has a culture-geeks sense of humor and an aversion to New York-style pretension. In a city where white nightlife options often seem limited to a decision between khakis, sport coats or three-piece suits, most of his ventures have stood out with irreverent themes such as insect-life, underbelly politics and television culture.

After his success with several out-and-out nightclubs in leased buildings, Englert switched to restaurant-bars and property acquisition. “Nightclubs are faddish,” says Englert. “Every seven months something new comes along.” The new ventures, like Dupont Circle's Lucky Bar and The Big Hunt, turned-down the live-music but retained the Englert formula: an identifiably unique but not intimidating atmosphere, cheap food and less-cheap booze.

People who have watched Englert at work, like his friend and sometime partner Joe Lyon, say that what drives Englert is challenge, especially that of taking an unorthodox idea and making it successful. “In every project Joe has, there is always at least one major hurdle, and usually it’s like three or four. He loves to use his business savvy to get around that,” says Lyon.

When Englert can't seem to lose, what comes next?

“It goes back to when I was a little kid with a Crayola crayon and eight feet of butcher block paper, creating forts with armies of 40,000 a side,” muses the entrepreneur. “Now I want to develop a whole, unique district.”

The Pitch

“Seven liquor-licenses owned by one person in three blocks? Not that I know of,” says Chuck Burger, chair of the mayorally-appointed Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC), the body that ultimately approves or denies all alcoholic beverage licenses. “At the most, I can think of maybe someone who owns two.”

Nobody in Washington has done this before. But what, exactly, is it that Englert is looking to create?

“I am looking for this to be something unique, artsy, creative ... Something like parts of the French Quarter without the rowdiness.” The vision includes the Showbar, a vaudeville-themed restaurant with live performances by sword-swallowers, nail-walkers and other “freakish” characters; the Rock & Roll Hotel, a many-roomed, large capacity live music venue that Englert describes as a “year-round Art-O-Matic;” and a New-Orleans style bar with a garden patio, among others. At least two other acquaintances are looking to join Englert early on, including Clifton Humphries, a young black entrepreneur who will be opening the H Street Martini Lounge.

And the rumors about a nightclub district and nudity? The rumor about nudity was a well-intentioned mistake, sheepishly admits ANC 6A Chair Joseph Fengler. “When I received a notice in the mail for ... an 'adult-themed vaudeville' place, I assumed that meant some kind of nudity, and I sent out an email.” Englert has since made clear that there were never any plans for nudity.

As far as the debate over whether the establishments will be nightclubs, bars or restaurants, it is a question that is partially in the eye of the beholder. While ABC licenses can designate a restaurant (with a requirement to sell a specific amount of food), a tavern (no food sale requirements, no permanent dance floor) or a nightclub (no food sale requirements, no dance floor restriction), those designations don't necessarily reflect how an establishment functions. Englert admits that his vision has changed since he first introduced it. “It has been a fluid process. After talking with community members ... I won't be applying for any nightclub [ABC licenses], and about half my places will be restaurants,” he says. Originally, he proposed primarily tavern licenses and at least two nightclubs.

Old-School Skepticism

“We have been fighting public drunkenness for years, the ANC is trying to get a ban on the sale of singles, and he is

going to put all those bars into three blocks?” asks Laverne Law, who has lived off the 1300 block of H Street for over 30 years. “That is just going to increase

public drunkenness. And why does he have to put them all in one place?”

Even when residents know that there will be no nudity and no nightclub-class liquor licenses, Englert's proposal doesn't have everyone smiling. At a sometimes heated meeting held by ANC 6A01

Commissioner Robyn Holden for her

constituents, the issues of liquor license concentration and public drunkenness were only two of several concerns repeated by area residents.

Longtime H Street resident Constance Makell spoke with alarm about parking impact. “We already don't have a place to park,” quipped the senior citizen who has trouble walking, “Do you expect me to go out and take a bus everywhere?” Makell's parking concerns are well grounded. A 2002 H Street Revitalization Study shows that are only 447 parking spaces along the whole corridor, of which 75% are unavailable during rush hour.

Another neighbor, Emory Robbins, a middle-aged black professional, addressed the fact that many, if not the majority, of H Street’s current residents are middle-aged to elderly black residents, not the younger white professionals who patronize most Englert establishments. “I don't know if I am being politically correct,” he asked, “but have you thought about how your establishments are going to fit into the culture of this neighborhood?”

The section of H Street that Englert is targeting, however, is not just any three-block section of H street. It is the area that has been specifically designated in the revitalization plan as the H Street Arts and Entertainment District. “We had the input of hundreds of area residents in developing that plan,” says Derrick Woody, the chief author of the H Street Strategic Plan and the coordinator of the Great Streets Initiative.

Woody points out that residents living near the H Street Arts and Entertainment District will likely have to face parking and ABC license concerns one way or another. “Without Englert, development would probably slow a little [in the entertainment district],” he speculates, “but those kinds of uses would probably follow. That whole area is zoned ... to permit restaurants and bars by-right.”

Michael Davidson, a researcher at the American Planning Association who specializes in entertainment district development, supports Woody's prognosis. “I doubt that an entertainment district could thrive without bars and restaurants,” he says.

As far as the issue of cultural and demographic change in the neighborhood, many people, like Saleem, believe that it in order for commercial H Street to thrive, it will need to attract affluent whites, especially those who have recently moved in to the area. “But I think this area will also continue to attract the [black] customers who come here now,” says Saleem, “In fact, there are several new owners who have just opened on H Street, such as Urban Legendz.”

While there are at least a few people in the neighborhood who seem opposed to the idea of an arts and entertainment district in general, it seems that most

residents are more concerned with what kind of feel Englert's development would have.

Will this self-created density propel the neighborhood to become the next Adams Morgan, a parking nightmare for area residents with scores of rowdy young men and women pouring into the streets at 2 AM? Or will new nightspots push the area in another direction, perhaps mimicking the restaurant-driven revitalization of Barracks Row on 8th Street, SE? Finally, is there anything the community can do to shape which reality comes about?

(Limited) Powers of the People

Any ANC or community group of five or more can protest an ABC license application. According to Burger, however, the ABC tries to avoid completely denying new applications in areas where such uses are permitted by zoning. Last year, no new applications were denied at all.

Instead, the ABC process encourages the community and the applicant to

negotiate terms on the license through a voluntary agreement that becomes legally binding. Fengler, for one, believes that this gives the community quite a bit of power, and suggests that it is the best tool for the community to work with Englert to ensure that his establishments mesh well with the neighborhood. “[The ANC's Alcoholic Beverage License Committee] has worked hard to develop a voluntary agreement that strongly represents community interests. It is one of the most

aggressive voluntary agreements in the city, and Joe has indicated that he is ready to work with us on that.”

Indeed, Englert has already signed voluntary agreements with ANC 6A for his first two proposed establishments, Showbar and Olympic. Those agreements prohibit deep discounts on liquor,

dancing, and cover charges, and also

require vigilant public space maintenance and reasonable noise levels. Englert has

stated that he is willing to negotiate voluntary agreements for all his proposed locations.

No matter how detailed a voluntary agreement is, there is no guarantee that a ABC license holder won't repeatedly

violate the agreement and get away with it. “We had documented numerous

violations, and called in numerous

complaints on [liquor store] Excello and we still couldn't get the ABC to revoke or suspend their license,” admits Fengler. “The store only closed because of the bad publicity that we created.”

Fengler says that he is optimistic about the Englert proposals because of Englert's track record and willingness to work with the community.

“I am in this for the long-haul, I own these buildings, so it is good business for me to have a good relationship with my neighbors,” affirms Englert, pointing to his willingness to work with community leaders, his willingness to invest up-front in soundproofing and other preventative measures, and his record with the ABC (never having any suspensions or revocations on previous liquor

licenses).

George Didden III, one of the founders of the National Capital Bank, is one person who vouches for Englert's community-mindedness. “Joe helped convince the whole block to become part of the Business Improvement District,” says Didden, referencing the Capitol Hill “clean & safe” entity financed with a special tax on commercial properties.

There have been minor squabbles.

One resident who lives near Capitol Lounge, and who asked not to be named, complains that the bar has created problems, especially with late-night noise and parking. That resident, however, said that he had not approached Englert or the ANC about the problem.

Perhaps the best way to foresee how Englert's proposed establishments will impact H Street is to take a look at what happens now at his existing establishments.

At 1:30 am on Saturday morning, The Capitol Lounge is still packed. The crowd is mostly in their 20s and 30s, with a few outliers pushing all the way into the golden years. Almost everyone is white. The jukebox is playing Johnny Cash. From the sidewalk in front of the bar, you can hear the music at about the volume of a speaking voice. In the alley, there is only an occasional audible whimper, probably from the door opening.

Half an hour later, the crowd starts to spill onto the street after last call. On this night at least, there are no fights, and only one or two patrons shows any signs of a stumble. Voices are loud, but it is not a full-on street party, as is common on 18th Street.

Multiply times eight. Is it worth it? Is it livable? Will it help rejuvenate H Street?

“I don't know,” answers Maye, the proprietor of Smoky's barbershop. He adds, “If they were here, I probably wouldn't go have a drink.”

Then, after a minute, he points to some of his customers, “But some of these guys might.”

For more information about the status of the Englert proposals, please contact ABL Committee Chair Mary Beatty at 202.546.4196 or visit www.anc6a.org. For comments or questions about this article, email staff writer Gabriel Pacyniak at gabriel@hillrag.com or call 202.543.8300 x14.


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H Street In His Image
Joe Englert's Audacious Bar and Restaurant Proposal: Boom or Bust?
by: Gabriel Pacyniak
The moment is ripe for Washington's Next Big Neighborhood, and Joe Englert is about to strike. Englert, the man behind Lucky Bar, The Big Hunt, Capitol Lounge, State of the Union and a string of Washington nightspot successes running back to the late 80s is going in heavy on H Street, NE. H Street, the long-stagnant corridor crossing the heart of northeast, home to fine men's clothiers, lazy Saturday afternoon nail salons and rowhouses selling for $400,000 to newly-minted Capitol Hill attorneys. Englert is looking to take the snowball that is the just-restored Atlas Theater and the two-year old H Street Playhouse and send it tumbling down the mountain, because he is making his own density, dropping eight bars-cum-restaurants at once, seven in a three block span. And he is confident that others will follow: gourmet chocolatiers and independent record labels, and that this will be Washington's next art district, a charismatic center of creativity and consumption. And some of the people who have lived off of H Street around the 1300 block for 10, 20, 30 years have heard that these ... nightclubs are coming, and some have even heard that there will be nudity, and they are wondering if this is going to be what they get after spending years to make the neighborhood decent. And even some of the newcomers, the attorneys and committee clerks that are starting families, they wonder if this is going to turn eastern H Street into a de-facto Adams Morgan. Others can't wait until Englert sets up shop, confident that this will be the shot in the arm that finally revives H Street’s commercial core. The majority, perhaps, simply wants to know, what exactly is this going to look like? And how will it change H Street? Holding Pattern on H The H Street corridor runs from North Capitol St., up over the gulf of railroad tracks that roll into Union Station, and then straight for about a mile and a half down to Hechinger Mall at 17th St NE. “This was once a prime commercial strip in the city,” says Anwar Saleem, the animated owner of the Hair Rage salon who also serves as the chair of H Street Main Street. “But the riots hit H Street hard,” he trails off, walking past some of the corridor's 65 abandoned storefronts. Saleem explains how H Street, like other inner Washington neighborhoods, was devastated after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. “After it was all over, a lot of the shop owners picked up and left. So did many of the affluent residents, both white and black.” The disinvestment did have one silver lining, he continues. “Even though many of the retail stores on H Street served black customers before the riots, most of the shop-owners were white. After the riots it gave black businessmen a chance to own the businesses themselves.” Those businesses give H Street its character as a lively, if sometimes sparse, African-American retail corridor today. This includes establishments like Smoky's barbershop, owned by Eddie Maye, with a long row of chairs extending back among a clutter of photos and bright florescent lights. Down the street is the Men's Fashion Center, which sells flashy designer suits, custom hats and exotic shoes in a rainbow of colors to who Assistant Manager Steven Davidson calls “the old-time, church-going crowd.” Unfortunately, there is another part of H Street's identity beyond the variety of specialty retailers: homeless men and women loitering on street corners, a persistent drug trade and rundown, blighted real estate. While local community groups and the District government have been working for years to upgrade infrastructure, attract new businesses and address quality-of-life issues, those efforts have not been able to achieve a sustainable momentum until recently. Following a citywide pattern, residential property values started to accelerate five years ago as the demand for urban living grew. Now, major commercial and residential development is tumbling down the pipeline, including a new headquarters for the federal Securities and Exchange Commission and over 1,500 residential units. Mayor Anthony Williams has also zeroed in on the corridor, allocating funds for a complete streetscape makeover and new transportation options as part of his “Great Streets” initiative. How Joe Made His Bones While H Street was fighting blight and crack cocaine in the late 1980s, Joe Englert was fighting the stale nightlife of Washington. Originally in DC to pursue journalism, the socially-adventurous Englert quickly tired of the options available to night-crawlers. “Back then there wasn't very much going on ... there were only a few spots to go to hear music, and it had to be Morrisey or the Violent Femmes,” shrugs the now-fortyish Englert, still game-faced, slightly disheveled and full of energy. Flashing his independent, risk-taking streak, Englert took a sideline into nightclubs. In one early attempt, he signed a 15-month lease on the back-room space of the old Rothschilds Cafeteria with two acquaintances. They named the locale 15 Minutes, a double pun on Andy-Warhol's 15-minutes of fame and their insider's prognosis. “We thought we would be lucky if the place lasted the 15 months [of the lease term],” laughs Englert in a high-pitched, percussive chortle. “It ended up staying open eight, nine years.” A 1990 Washington Post review of the club references chairs painted with skull-and-bones, black-velvet kitsch portraits of soul icons and philosophy snippets written in invisible ink on the walls. Patrons competed to suggested month-long club themes, the food was inexpensive and the playlist could include 80s electronica, progressive rock and hip hop on the same night. It is a good reflection of the Englert aesthetic, well-suited to DC's unique brand of policy-headed barflies. Omnivorously curious, Englert has a culture-geeks sense of humor and an aversion to New York-style pretension. In a city where white nightlife options often seem limited to a decision between khakis, sport coats or three-piece suits, most of his ventures have stood out with irreverent themes such as insect-life, underbelly politics and television culture. After his success with several out-and-out nightclubs in leased buildings, Englert switched to restaurant-bars and property acquisition. “Nightclubs are faddish,” says Englert. “Every seven months something new comes along.” The new ventures, like Dupont Circle's Lucky Bar and The Big Hunt, turned-down the live-music but retained the Englert formula: an identifiably unique but not intimidating atmosphere, cheap food and less-cheap booze. People who have watched Englert at work, like his friend and sometime partner Joe Lyon, say that what drives Englert is challenge, especially that of taking an unorthodox idea and making it successful. “In every project Joe has, there is always at least one major hurdle, and usually it’s like three or four. He loves to use his business savvy to get around that,” says Lyon. When Englert can't seem to lose, what comes next? “It goes back to when I was a little kid with a Crayola crayon and eight feet of butcher block paper, creating forts with armies of 40,000 a side,” muses the entrepreneur. “Now I want to develop a whole, unique district.” The Pitch “Seven liquor-licenses owned by one person in three blocks? Not that I know of,” says Chuck Burger, chair of the mayorally-appointed Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC), the body that ultimately approves or denies all alcoholic beverage licenses. “At the most, I can think of maybe someone who owns two.” Nobody in Washington has done this before. But what, exactly, is it that Englert is looking to create? “I am looking for this to be something unique, artsy, creative ... Something like parts of the French Quarter without the rowdiness.” The vision includes the Showbar, a vaudeville-themed restaurant with live performances by sword-swallowers, nail-walkers and other “freakish” characters; the Rock & Roll Hotel, a many-roomed, large capacity live music venue that Englert describes as a “year-round Art-O-Matic;” and a New-Orleans style bar with a garden patio, among others. At least two other acquaintances are looking to join Englert early on, including Clifton Humphries, a young black entrepreneur who will be opening the H Street Martini Lounge. And the rumors about a nightclub district and nudity? The rumor about nudity was a well-intentioned mistake, sheepishly admits ANC 6A Chair Joseph Fengler. “When I received a notice in the mail for ... an 'adult-themed vaudeville' place, I assumed that meant some kind of nudity, and I sent out an email.” Englert has since made clear that there were never any plans for nudity. As far as the debate over whether the establishments will be nightclubs, bars or restaurants, it is a question that is partially in the eye of the beholder. While ABC licenses can designate a restaurant (with a requirement to sell a specific amount of food), a tavern (no food sale requirements, no permanent dance floor) or a nightclub (no food sale requirements, no dance floor restriction), those designations don't necessarily reflect how an establishment functions. Englert admits that his vision has changed since he first introduced it. “It has been a fluid process. After talking with community members ... I won't be applying for any nightclub [ABC licenses], and about half my places will be restaurants,” he says. Originally, he proposed primarily tavern licenses and at least two nightclubs. Old-School Skepticism “We have been fighting public drunkenness for years, the ANC is trying to get a ban on the sale of singles, and he is going to put all those bars into three blocks?” asks Laverne Law, who has lived off the 1300 block of H Street for over 30 years. “That is just going to increase public drunkenness. And why does he have to put them all in one place?” Even when residents know that there will be no nudity and no nightclub-class liquor licenses, Englert's proposal doesn't have everyone smiling. At a sometimes heated meeting held by ANC 6A01 Commissioner Robyn Holden for her constituents, the issues of liquor license concentration and public drunkenness were only two of several concerns repeated by area residents. Longtime H Street resident Constance Makell spoke with alarm about parking impact. “We already don't have a place to park,” quipped the senior citizen who has trouble walking, “Do you expect me to go out and take a bus everywhere?” Makell's parking concerns are well grounded. A 2002 H Street Revitalization Study shows that are only 447 parking spaces along the whole corridor, of which 75% are unavailable during rush hour. Another neighbor, Emory Robbins, a middle-aged black professional, addressed the fact that many, if not the majority, of H Street’s current residents are middle-aged to elderly black residents, not the younger white professionals who patronize most Englert establishments. “I don't know if I am being politically correct,” he asked, “but have you thought about how your establishments are going to fit into the culture of this neighborhood?” The section of H Street that Englert is targeting, however, is not just any three-block section of H street. It is the area that has been specifically designated in the revitalization plan as the H Street Arts and Entertainment District. “We had the input of hundreds of area residents in developing that plan,” says Derrick Woody, the chief author of the H Street Strategic Plan and the coordinator of the Great Streets Initiative. Woody points out that residents living near the H Street Arts and Entertainment District will likely have to face parking and ABC license concerns one way or another. “Without Englert, development would probably slow a little [in the entertainment district],” he speculates, “but those kinds of uses would probably follow. That whole area is zoned ... to permit restaurants and bars by-right.” Michael Davidson, a researcher at the American Planning Association who specializes in entertainment district development, supports Woody's prognosis. “I doubt that an entertainment district could thrive without bars and restaurants,” he says. As far as the issue of cultural and demographic change in the neighborhood, many people, like Saleem, believe that it in order for commercial H Street to thrive, it will need to attract affluent whites, especially those who have recently moved in to the area. “But I think this area will also continue to attract the [black] customers who come here now,” says Saleem, “In fact, there are several new owners who have just opened on H Street, such as Urban Legendz.” While there are at least a few people in the neighborhood who seem opposed to the idea of an arts and entertainment district in general, it seems that most residents are more concerned with what kind of feel Englert's development would have. Will this self-created density propel the neighborhood to become the next Adams Morgan, a parking nightmare for area residents with scores of rowdy young men and women pouring into the streets at 2 AM? Or will new nightspots push the area in another direction, perhaps mimicking the restaurant-driven revitalization of Barracks Row on 8th Street, SE? Finally, is there anything the community can do to shape which reality comes about? (Limited) Powers of the People Any ANC or community group of five or more can protest an ABC license application. According to Burger, however, the ABC tries to avoid completely denying new applications in areas where such uses are permitted by zoning. Last year, no new applications were denied at all. Instead, the ABC process encourages the community and the applicant to negotiate terms on the license through a voluntary agreement that becomes legally binding. Fengler, for one, believes that this gives the community quite a bit of power, and suggests that it is the best tool for the community to work with Englert to ensure that his establishments mesh well with the neighborhood. “[The ANC's Alcoholic Beverage License Committee] has worked hard to develop a voluntary agreement that strongly represents community interests. It is one of the most aggressive voluntary agreements in the city, and Joe has indicated that he is ready to work with us on that.” Indeed, Englert has already signed voluntary agreements with ANC 6A for his first two proposed establishments, Showbar and Olympic. Those agreements prohibit deep discounts on liquor, dancing, and cover charges, and also require vigilant public space maintenance and reasonable noise levels. Englert has stated that he is willing to negotiate voluntary agreements for all his proposed locations. No matter how detailed a voluntary agreement is, there is no guarantee that a ABC license holder won't repeatedly violate the agreement and get away with it. “We had documented numerous violations, and called in numerous complaints on [liquor store] Excello and we still couldn't get the ABC to revoke or suspend their license,” admits Fengler. “The store only closed because of the bad publicity that we created.” Fengler says that he is optimistic about the Englert proposals because of Englert's track record and willingness to work with the community. “I am in this for the long-haul, I own these buildings, so it is good business for me to have a good relationship with my neighbors,” affirms Englert, pointing to his willingness to work with community leaders, his willingness to invest up-front in soundproofing and other preventative measures, and his record with the ABC (never having any suspensions or revocations on previous liquor licenses). George Didden III, one of the founders of the National Capital Bank, is one person who vouches for Englert's community-mindedness. “Joe helped convince the whole block to become part of the Business Improvement District,” says Didden, referencing the Capitol Hill “clean & safe” entity financed with a special tax on commercial properties. There have been minor squabbles. One resident who lives near Capitol Lounge, and who asked not to be named, complains that the bar has created problems, especially with late-night noise and parking. That resident, however, said that he had not approached Englert or the ANC about the problem. Perhaps the best way to foresee how Englert's proposed establishments will impact H Street is to take a look at what happens now at his existing establishments. At 1:30 am on Saturday morning, The Capitol Lounge is still packed. The crowd is mostly in their 20s and 30s, with a few outliers pushing all the way into the golden years. Almost everyone is white. The jukebox is playing Johnny Cash. From the sidewalk in front of the bar, you can hear the music at about the volume of a speaking voice. In the alley, there is only an occasional audible whimper, probably from the door opening. Half an hour later, the crowd starts to spill onto the street after last call. On this night at least, there are no fights, and only one or two patrons shows any signs of a stumble. Voices are loud, but it is not a full-on street party, as is common on 18th Street. Multiply times eight. Is it worth it? Is it livable? Will it help rejuvenate H Street? “I don't know,” answers Maye, the proprietor of Smoky's barbershop. He adds, “If they were here, I probably wouldn't go have a drink.” Then, after a minute, he points to some of his customers, “But some of these guys might.” For more information about the status of the Englert proposals, please contact ABL Committee Chair Mary Beatty at 202.546.4196 or visit www.anc6a.org. For comments or questions about this article, email staff writer Gabriel Pacyniak at gabriel@hillrag.com or call 202.543.8300 x14.