Hill Rag

People’s Church May Become Dance Club

But some residents say it would bring too many cars and people

by: Amy Rogers Nazarov

The prospect People’s Church building being converted to a restaurant or nightclub has galvanized neighbors who say Barracks Row already has too many liquor-serving establishments.

Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld, president of Latin Concepts (www.latinconcepts.com/), whose holdings include U Street’s Chi-Cha Lounge and Dupont Circle’s Gazuza, has made a $2 million offer on the property at 535 8th Street SE, sources said. He hopes to develop an almost 5,000 square-foot Latin/Mediterranean restaurant/dance club there.

But some say such an establishment would overwhelm the neighborhood with too many cars and too many patrons.

“We don’t want to be a nightclub/restaurant row” in the Adams Morgan mold, said Bill McLeod, executive director of Barracks Row Main Street (www.barracksrow.org/). “We have 25 restaurants and taverns [on the Hill] now, and that is way more than we need.”

Fraga-Rosenfeld contended that many people—especially the Hill’s surging population of 20- and 30-somethings, “would love” the establishment he envisions. But he complained that the word “club” stigmatizes the project he is trying to advance.

“The [Alcoholic Beverage Control Board] and [Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6B] have worked with us very well,” he said. “The problem is that the neighbors do not understand the concept. When they see someone coming in with a restaurant idea—with live music, maybe a jazz quartet—they hear the word ‘club.’ They think we are the same as those [owners] who had a lot of fights” outside their establishments, he said, referring to incidents that plagued the now defunct Heart & Soul Café and other former Hill nightspots.

Should the ABC Board reject Latin Concepts’ application, Fraga-Rosenfeld said, “it would be a loss for the neighborhood.” But he is not ready to give up: “I can still afford to negotiate a little longer.”

Latin Concepts must complete a feasibility study and address comments and questions from those opposed to its application.

June 14 is the new deadline by which opponents must file protests or requests to appear before the ABC Board at a June 29 hearing, slated to take place at the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration’s offices at 941 North Capitol St. NE, in Suite 7200. ABRA rules stipulate that the parties to a case—the applicants and those filing protests—appear at this “non-adversarial proceeding.” Once the parties to the dispute are established, the ABC Board will ask them to try to work out an agreement.

Although the ABC Board is not obliged to adhere to recommendations made by Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, it must consider them seriously, according to Ken Jarboe, chairman of ANC 6B. At the Committee’s monthly meeting on May 10, Jarboe said, the ten commissioners unanimously voted against Latin Concepts’ application.

“The club would be basically too big, and there would be too many people running around the neighborhood late at night,” he said. “Even if these guys run a great establishment, if it’s successful it overloads the capacity of 8th Street.”

At this point, “I don’t know whether there will be any negotiation at all,” said Dick Wolf, chair of the city planning committee for the Capitol Hill Restoration Society. “The developer offered a voluntary agreement. But I believe the ANC resolution was to protest the application; they did not talk about entering into a voluntary agreement.”

“From what I have seen around town, voluntary agreements are like acquiring a serious chronic illness,” Wolf continued. “They require constant attention,” and may be tough to enforce.

Commissioners and others conceded that violence and noise at Heart & Soul, formerly located at 801 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, have made them cautious about accepting a similar establishment in the neighborhood. The café-cum-nightclub was the scene of fights, shootings and stabbings.

“It took so long to shut down that place,” said ANC 6B Commissioner Julie Olson, who introduced the resolution opposing Latin Concepts’ application at the May 10 meeting.

Olson said she’d like to see People’s Church space house retail shops or revert back to a theater, which was its original use when it was built in the ‘30s. “Maybe one of those cinema-and-draft house type places,” she said.

Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (www.chaw.org/) was reportedly one of the other parties interested in buying the property, perhaps to use it as a theater or performance space. But Jonathan Darr, executive director of CHAW, says the organization is currently “not interested.

“Maybe two months ago we went to look at it, but it did not fit” what Darr described as CHAW’s most pressing need: additional space for art classes.

Longtime Hill resident Norman Metzger was so alarmed by the prospect of an 8th Street club that he quickly put together a Web site (www.futureofpeopleschurch.com) he hopes can serve as a resource for people who want to learn about opponents’ objections.

“We’ve seen a lot of changes, mostly of them terrific,” said Metzger, who with his wife Nancy moved to the Hill in the late ‘60s. “But we think a club is totally wrong for the neighborhood.” Nancy Metzger is a member of the Historic Preservation Committee of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society.

Though People’s Church has been a Capitol Hill fixture since 1962, lack of parking is likely to ultimately force congregation members to find a new place to worship outside the city, conceded Pastor Michael Hall. He says he and the Pentecostal congregation—about a third of whom are District residents—are reluctant to leave, but see few options.

“A church like ours, which uses the building four or five nights a week” feels the impact of limited parking spaces, said Hall.

‘We love the neighborhood,” Hall added with a touch of wistfulness. “We understand that it’s gentrified, and we are happy for that. But [church members have] an emotional tie to the church. People were born and married and buried there. If we could pick up and move the building, we would.”

Just weeks ago, Barracks Row Main Street won the 2005 Great American Main Street Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. McLeod said that award “takes us up a level and gives us a lot of national attention. It will hopefully bring more people here for shopping and dining.” Observers said the award—honoring the architectural and commercial revitalization of the corridor—adds urgency to the debate over the future of the People’s Church space.


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People’s Church May Become Dance Club
But some residents say it would bring too many cars and people
by: Amy Rogers Nazarov
The prospect People’s Church building being converted to a restaurant or nightclub has galvanized neighbors who say Barracks Row already has too many liquor-serving establishments. Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld, president of Latin Concepts (www.latinconcepts.com/), whose holdings include U Street’s Chi-Cha Lounge and Dupont Circle’s Gazuza, has made a $2 million offer on the property at 535 8th Street SE, sources said. He hopes to develop an almost 5,000 square-foot Latin/Mediterranean restaurant/dance club there. But some say such an establishment would overwhelm the neighborhood with too many cars and too many patrons. “We don’t want to be a nightclub/restaurant row” in the Adams Morgan mold, said Bill McLeod, executive director of Barracks Row Main Street (www.barracksrow.org/). “We have 25 restaurants and taverns [on the Hill] now, and that is way more than we need.” Fraga-Rosenfeld contended that many people—especially the Hill’s surging population of 20- and 30-somethings, “would love” the establishment he envisions. But he complained that the word “club” stigmatizes the project he is trying to advance. “The [Alcoholic Beverage Control Board] and [Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6B] have worked with us very well,” he said. “The problem is that the neighbors do not understand the concept. When they see someone coming in with a restaurant idea—with live music, maybe a jazz quartet—they hear the word ‘club.’ They think we are the same as those [owners] who had a lot of fights” outside their establishments, he said, referring to incidents that plagued the now defunct Heart & Soul Café and other former Hill nightspots. Should the ABC Board reject Latin Concepts’ application, Fraga-Rosenfeld said, “it would be a loss for the neighborhood.” But he is not ready to give up: “I can still afford to negotiate a little longer.” Latin Concepts must complete a feasibility study and address comments and questions from those opposed to its application. June 14 is the new deadline by which opponents must file protests or requests to appear before the ABC Board at a June 29 hearing, slated to take place at the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration’s offices at 941 North Capitol St. NE, in Suite 7200. ABRA rules stipulate that the parties to a case—the applicants and those filing protests—appear at this “non-adversarial proceeding.” Once the parties to the dispute are established, the ABC Board will ask them to try to work out an agreement. Although the ABC Board is not obliged to adhere to recommendations made by Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, it must consider them seriously, according to Ken Jarboe, chairman of ANC 6B. At the Committee’s monthly meeting on May 10, Jarboe said, the ten commissioners unanimously voted against Latin Concepts’ application. “The club would be basically too big, and there would be too many people running around the neighborhood late at night,” he said. “Even if these guys run a great establishment, if it’s successful it overloads the capacity of 8th Street.” At this point, “I don’t know whether there will be any negotiation at all,” said Dick Wolf, chair of the city planning committee for the Capitol Hill Restoration Society. “The developer offered a voluntary agreement. But I believe the ANC resolution was to protest the application; they did not talk about entering into a voluntary agreement.” “From what I have seen around town, voluntary agreements are like acquiring a serious chronic illness,” Wolf continued. “They require constant attention,” and may be tough to enforce. Commissioners and others conceded that violence and noise at Heart & Soul, formerly located at 801 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, have made them cautious about accepting a similar establishment in the neighborhood. The café-cum-nightclub was the scene of fights, shootings and stabbings. “It took so long to shut down that place,” said ANC 6B Commissioner Julie Olson, who introduced the resolution opposing Latin Concepts’ application at the May 10 meeting. Olson said she’d like to see People’s Church space house retail shops or revert back to a theater, which was its original use when it was built in the ‘30s. “Maybe one of those cinema-and-draft house type places,” she said. Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (www.chaw.org/) was reportedly one of the other parties interested in buying the property, perhaps to use it as a theater or performance space. But Jonathan Darr, executive director of CHAW, says the organization is currently “not interested. “Maybe two months ago we went to look at it, but it did not fit” what Darr described as CHAW’s most pressing need: additional space for art classes. Longtime Hill resident Norman Metzger was so alarmed by the prospect of an 8th Street club that he quickly put together a Web site (www.futureofpeopleschurch.com) he hopes can serve as a resource for people who want to learn about opponents’ objections. “We’ve seen a lot of changes, mostly of them terrific,” said Metzger, who with his wife Nancy moved to the Hill in the late ‘60s. “But we think a club is totally wrong for the neighborhood.” Nancy Metzger is a member of the Historic Preservation Committee of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society. Though People’s Church has been a Capitol Hill fixture since 1962, lack of parking is likely to ultimately force congregation members to find a new place to worship outside the city, conceded Pastor Michael Hall. He says he and the Pentecostal congregation—about a third of whom are District residents—are reluctant to leave, but see few options. “A church like ours, which uses the building four or five nights a week” feels the impact of limited parking spaces, said Hall. ‘We love the neighborhood,” Hall added with a touch of wistfulness. “We understand that it’s gentrified, and we are happy for that. But [church members have] an emotional tie to the church. People were born and married and buried there. If we could pick up and move the building, we would.” Just weeks ago, Barracks Row Main Street won the 2005 Great American Main Street Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. McLeod said that award “takes us up a level and gives us a lot of national attention. It will hopefully bring more people here for shopping and dining.” Observers said the award—honoring the architectural and commercial revitalization of the corridor—adds urgency to the debate over the future of the People’s Church space.