Northwest Georgetown September ANC Update
Hello and welcome to the Northwest Georgetown September ANC update! I hope you all had a great summer and are still enjoying its tail end. Although we had no meeting in August, I still had a fairly busy summer for my ANC work. So I’ve got plenty to catch you up on:
Tavern on 33rd St.
The most time consuming and significant issue I worked on this summer is responding to the proposing to open a tavern at 1660 33rd St., right where it meets Wisconsin Ave.
I discussed this in my July report, but here’s a quick refresher. The location has the appearance of a residence from the outside (and indeed there are residences in the second floor and the basement) but the property as a whole is zoned commercial. For that reason, no zoning relief is needed to open a bar here.
The applicant, Rassam Rad, is aiming to open what he describes as a speakeasy in the location. The application is for a tavern license. That is a liquor license that does not require food sales by the establishment (unlike the far more common restaurant license that does require a percentage of revenues to come from food sales). Rad also wants to use the rear patio as a “summer garden”, which is basically ABC-speak for “rear patio”.
And the summer garden is the most challenging aspect of the proposal, at least from the perspective of the surrounding residents. The ANC, the Citizens Association, three abutting neighbors, and a group of non-abutting neighbors protested the issuance of the license. This is typically a somewhat perfunctory move that enables the parties to enter into something called a settlement agreement. This is essentially an agreement that contains terms that the applicant consents to abide by in exchange for the parties dropping their protest.
In this case, however, negotiating terms that both Rad and the protesting parties could agree to was a challenge. We even participated in a mediation hearing run by ABCA to see if we couldn’t bridge the gap. I’m happy to report that we have an agreement in principle and are in the process of finalizing the language.
The provisions will govern how many hours the bar and the summer garden can be open (the summer garden will close earlier than the inside, for example). It will govern noise, as the applicant has agreed to certain standards of noise levels that, if followed, will almost certainly reduce the impact compared with the amount of noise that would be allowed if the license were issued without an agreement. (If an agreement were not entered into, the protest would go all the way to a hearing, which the ANC, CAG, et al could very well lose).
Like with most successful compromises, this end result will likely leave both sides a bit disappointed. But I’m hoping that when the bar opens it will ultimately be a gain for the neighborhood.
Two Notable Old Georgetown Board Projects
I will have two notable Old Georgetown Board projects on the agenda for next Tuesday’s meeting. I have tried to alert those immediately near the projects but in case I missed someone:
3327 Q St.
The first project is 3327 Q St. This is a house that is currently in the middle of a rather lengthly construction that was approved last year. It is a small house on a deep lot that is adding on to the rear. This image below shows: a) the previous condition (on top) b) the extension that was approved last year (middle), and c) the new proposal (bottom):
As you can see, the approved plans call for a two-story addition for a portion of the expansion and a one-story extension a bit further. The new proposal would essentially extend the two-story addition to the full length of the proposed expansion.
It’s an interesting case for a couple reasons. The first is that the first proposal for the currently approved plans called for a similar full two-story extension. But the OGB asked the applicant to reduce it to what got approved. This new application would be a bit of a second go at that first request.
The other reason it is interesting is that it’s a fairly substantial change while the approved plans are still very much in the process of being constructed.
The homeowner has expressed some extenuating circumstances necessitating the changes. And there’s nothing inherently untoward about either of these aspects. But I wanted to make sure people were aware and had their opportunity to chime in.
3246 S St.
The other building on the OGB agenda is 3246 S St. This is a building that certainly divides opinion:
It is an extremely 80s example of post-modernism. Walking through the house definitely reminded me of walking through homes that were new when I was a kid. The S St. facade does not quite relate how stylized the interior is. Is definitely looks like a house that the original Miami Vice could have been filmed at, glass blocks and all:
The owner, a real estate developer, acquired the property recently following the death of the long-term owner. He submitted a proposal in the spring to tuck in a third story by-way of a new mansard roof on the front section of the building:
Due to the peak of the existing roof, this original proposal did not actually call for raising the height of the building. Since ultimately the impact of these changes were overwhelmingly aesthetic, the ANC took no position and deferred to the OGB. The OGB, in turn, did not approve these plans and recommended the new construction not try to mix-and-match styles as the mansard roof would do.
So the applicant is back with these plans that would call for a higher roof for the front two sections:
You can see the changes a bit more clearly in this side elevation:
As I mentioned, the immediate neighbors have been notified, but if you have thoughts on the plans, shoot them to me at 2e02@anc.dc.gov. It will be on the agenda next week for discussion.
It’s somewhat unfortunate that, as far as I understand, a lot of that 80s interior will be removed. To generations that saw this style in the first go-around, there probably won’t be much love lost. But I would not be surprised if in a decade or so, architectural preservationists will lament the loss of this vintage 80s interior the same way we lament the loss of a Victorian Queen Anne. Unfortunately for this building, it’s currently in the uncanny valley where it’s old enough to be disliked for being out of style, but not old enough to be liked for being really out of style. I hope that the applicant saves and restores as much of the interior as he can.
Quick Updates
As mentioned above, the ANC will meet for its September session next Tuesday at 6:30 at Visitation (Zoom link here). Here is the draft agenda.
The city is finally moving on unlicensed cannabis shops. It shut down two shops in July.
I’m running for reelection! I hope its a vote of confidence that nobody else is running for the same seat. Thank you to everyone who has been supportive!
Students Back!
With the arrival of September, Georgetown students have returned for the year. As I wrote last year, that may mean you have new neighbors on your block. This sometimes leads to conflict, but I find reaching out directly to the students first is a good approach. Many of these students are living independently for the first time in their lives, so there’s bound to be some growing pains. That said, remember to reach out to SNAP at (202) 687-5138 if there is a problem.
And, as always, if you have an issue you’d like my assistance with, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at 2e02@anc.dc.gov.