Northwest Georgetown July ANC Update

Hello, and welcome to your July Northwest Georgetown ANC Update!

Tavern Application

There is likely no news item more important for our district from the last month than this: a tavern is applying to open at 1660 33rd St.

Specifically, a bar to be called Creme is seeking a liquor license for this location. The building sits right where 33rd St. meets Wisconsin Ave. It most recently housed a used book store in the basement, which was an absolute warren of hardbacks and paperbacks:

Additionally, on the ground floor one of the early gray market pot shops operated until it was shut down in 2020.

The building (along with those immediately surrounding it) is zoned mixed use (which is to say: commercial). As such, the property does not need any zoning relief to host a bar or restaurant.

The license being sought is a tavern license. Tavern licenses are essentially bar licenses. Unlike restaurant licenses—which most drinking establishments in Georgetown have—tavern licenses do not require the establishment to derive a minimum portion of its revenues from food sales. Since 1994, there has been a hard cap on the number of tavern licenses issued for Georgetown. That number was six until last year, when it was raised to twelve. As of now, there are still only six tavern licenses issued.

The application requests a “summer garden”. That’s just a fancy way of saying “outdoor patio”. In this case the patio would be the rear deck. And that is the main reason this application has raised intense concerns from the nearby residents.

The deck opens up to a rear space that includes at least a dozen other properties. As the deck currently exists, someone standing on it can look clearly into at least half those dozens properties, including into the bedrooms of some along Reservoir. The noise would reach further.

While the application calls for only allowing ten patrons to use the patio at a given time, there are worries that that will still be loud and a hard rule to enforce besides.

I am currently working with the neighbors and other interested parties to move forward with a plan, including a possible settlement agreement that would aim to address these concerns. If you would like to join that group, please reach out to me at 2e02@anc.dc.gov.

Volta Park

Volta Park had a fairly eventful month. At one point the irrigation system around the ball field malfunctioned and caused so much flooding it reach down to Volta Place:

On that same day, a child of a nearby family was bitten by an off-leash dog.

Both these incidents point to the absolute necessity of the Volta Park field renovation to finally move forward. This would restore the ball field and grass. And it would repair the irrigation system, which frankly I don’t think I have ever seen operate correctly.

Further, the work would include the construction of a new fence across the northwest corner of the grass field. This proposal was controversial, especially among dog owners. But the attack on the child demonstrates the critical need for separation between the (not actually legal) off-leash dog area to the north and the playing fields to the south.

I have hesitated giving an update on when that construction will actually take place, having been proven wrong time and again. But for what it’s worth, the Department of Parks and Rec recently informed me that they are aiming for a September start. I would not bet Monopoly money on that though.

Foodie Renaissance Continues but Creates Challenges

Our particular stretch of Wisconsin Ave. continues to grow as a food destination. For instance, Yellow was recently chosen as one of the best pizza restaurants in the country by the New York Times. Additionally, the always popular Tatte is days away from opening in the former Capital One at Wisconsin and Q. Jinya ramen is still aiming to open soon in the former Officina space. And something called “Georgetown Pantry” is opening a few doors down. I have no idea what that is, but fingers crossed that the “pantry” means some sort of tasty food option.

With all this success comes challenges, of course. With all these patrons coming to our specific corner of Georgetown it means the way they get here can impact our quality of life. If they all drive and park for long period of time, that makes it more difficult for us to find parking near our homes. For that reason it is important that we take multiple steps to mitigate this impact while also welcoming these successful businesses, businesses that we enjoy as well.

These steps include facilitating and prioritizing alternatives to driving. I pushed last year for a new bikeshare station at the corner of 33rd and Wisconsin. I understand that it has already been hugely successful in terms of attracting riders. Attracting riders to Capital Bikeshare both means that they are not driving and not taking some of the private bikeshare operators, like Lime, that often result in blocked sidewalks.

But many will still use Lime, and the other vendors. To discourage these ending up in the middle of the sidewalk, I am working with the city to install more bike corrals in the street. One was installed up the block from me, near an intersection where many Limebikes were often left blocking the sidewalk. After the installation, the incidences of blocking went way down and riders used the corral instead.

And of course, many will still drive to Yellow, et al. It’s important that these patrons not exceed the time restrictions for parking. I am continuing to meet regularly with DPW to push for more parking enforcement. It is an uphill battle, but I am hoping that as the city rolls out more automated license plate readers, each ticketing officer will be able to cover much more ground and increase the effective enforcement.

Happy Summer!

And with that, I will wish you a happy summer! With the ANC taking a break in August, I will also take a break and return to monthly updates in September. But I will still be around, so if you have any issue that needs attention, please do not hesitate to reach out at 2e02@anc.dc.gov.