From: Vince Micone <vnm3@rcn.com>
ANC 2B Meeting Agenda
Dupont Circle Advisory
Neighborhood Commission
Wednesday,
March 13, 2002, 7:30 pm
St. Thomas Church
1772 Church St. NW (at 18th)
March Meeting Summary
Below is a summary of the
actions taken by the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC 2B)
at the March 13, 2002, Regular Meeting. Please note this summary does
not constitute an official record of the meeting. Contact the
Executive Director or appropriate Commissioner for additional information.
March 13, 2002 - Regular Meeting
-- General Announcements: The following general announcements were
made at the March meeting. (1) The Chair announced that the DC
Commission on the Arts and Humanities will launch a public art display
featuring donkey and elephant sculptures created by locally and nationally
recognized artists. Called "Party Animals", the display will
be located at 200 different sites around the city, 120 of which will be in
Ward 2. The display will begin in April. For more information,
visit http://dcarts.dc.gov/services/artsnpp/party_animals.shtm or call
724-5613. (2) The Chair announced that the Ward 2 Democrats were
conducting a free property tax clinic for those concerned about excessive
property tax assessments. The clinic was held on March 19, 2002.
Ward 2 Democrats can be reached on 234-7921; Budd Lane, of the Dupont
Circle neighborhood, is the chairperson. (3) The Chair announced that
a Public Safety Meeting would be held on March 20, 2002, a P Street
streetscape planning meeting would be held on March 25, 2002, and a P Street
merchants/neighbors meeting would be held on March 30, 2002. (4) Jim
McGlade, Chairperson of the Dupont Merchants and Professionals Association
(DC MAP), described neighborhood efforts to submit an application for a
grant to the DC Main Streets program. Main Streets will provide a
five-year grant to support revitalization efforts in business districts and
neighborhoods. ANC 2B voted unanimously to support the DC MAP
application and submit a letter of endorsement. Mr. McGlade asked that
interested neighbors also forward letters of support. (5) Linda
Johnson, representing Cornell in DC, announced that Cornell intended to
purchase the building they have been leasing on the corner of O and 22nd
Street. She solicited community feedback on the proposal. The
issue was referred to Commissioner Newton for further consideration in her
Single Member District.
-- Public Safety Issues: Lt. Mosher (PSA 209), Lt. Hill (PSA 308), and
Lt. Claus (U.S. Park Police) provided an update on the incidence of crime in
their respective jurisdictions. They noted that although crime was
significantly reduced from this time in 2001, that there were still areas of
concern. Lt. Claus announced that the U.S. Park Police would resume
stationing an officer at Dupont Circle Park in the afternoon and evenings.
This was temporarily discontinued after September 11th due to
deployments. Citizens present were invited to share their public
safety concerns. The Chair noted that ANC 2B and DCCA would be working
cooperatively to reestablish a neighborhood watch for the West Dupont Circle
neighborhood. More specific information will be provided in the near
future.
-- Presentation by David Moorehead, PEPCO's Dupont Circle Neighborhood
Liaison: David Moorehead, PEPCO's liaison to the Dupont Circle
neighborhood, provided an overview of PEPCO's response to the electrical
fires on 17th Street in 2001 and major plans for utility improvements in the
coming year. Mr. Moorehead addressed questions from the audience and
committed to follow-up on specific requests for information related to
utility-related construction in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. Mr.
Moorehead may be reached on 872-2337 or at dlmoorehead@pepco.com.
-- BZA Application - National Association of Colored Womens Clubs, 1601
R St., NW, Special Exception to Allow a Non-Profit Organization at Premises,
#16853: The National Association of Colored Womens Clubs described
their application, which is a request for a special exemption from zoning
variances in a residential zone to allow a non-profit organization. The
association has owned the property for many years, but formerly leased the
location to a private club. The property has been renovated and the
association plans to relocate their offices to the building. The
National Association of Colored Womens Clubs is a 106 year-old organization
dedicated to improving educational opportunities for women and youth and
enhancing family life. After public comment and questions, ANC 2B
voted unanimously to support this application. The vote was proceeded
by a spontaneous round of applause, an occurrence that the Chair noted was
rare in BZA cases! (2B04)
-- Public Space Application - Tan, Inc., 1840 18th St., NW, Unenclosed
Sidewalk Café: ANC 2B reconsidered an application by Tan, Inc., for
an unenclosed sidewalk cafe at 1840 18th St., NW. The business is
known as Larry's Lounge. Ken McGill, co-owner of Tan, provided
testimony that he had previously applied for - and received - a public space
permit for this location, but that the Public Space Committee had lost this
application. The Chair noted that ANC 2B had protested this
application partially on procedural grounds -- the Public Space Committee
voted to approve this application without legally-required "great
weight" input from ANC 2B. There has been no response to ANC 2B's
letter of protest on this matter. Mr. McGill described his
frustrations with the public space application process and submitted written
testimony on the matter. After comment and questions, ANC 2B
voted to indicate for the record that the permit was granted without ANC
input and that the ANC 2B's protest reflected these procedural issues.
(2B01)
-- Public Space Application - George Donas, 2157 P St., NW, Unenclosed
Sidewalk Café: ANC 2B considered an application by George Donas for
an unenclosed sidewalk cafe at 2157 P St., NW, for the restaurant Legends.
It was noted that the proposed use of public space is consistent with
the ANC 2B's public space guidelines. After comment and questions, ANC
2B voted unanimously to support this application. (2B02)
-- Public Space Committee Mismanagement: The Chair noted that the
application of Tan, Inc., and the testimony of Mr. McGill were yet
additional concerns about mismanagement of the public space application
process. He noted that letters sent to the Mayor, acting director of
the District Division of Transportation (which has management responsibility
for the Public Space Committee) and director of the Department of Consumer
and Regulatory Affairs (which has management responsibility for the public
space application process) in September and December of last year remain
unanswered and unacknowledged. ANC 2B voted unanimously to authorize
the Chair to send a letter to the Mayor requesting an immediate meeting on
this matter.
ABC Substantial Change - Jury's; Application #7198, CH License; 1500 New
Hampshire Ave., NW; request for an expansion in ABC service at a sidewalk
café with a seating capacity of 124: ANC 2B considered an application
by Jury's for a substantial change to their ABC license to allow service of
alcoholic beverages at an enclosed sidewalk cafe with a capacity of 124.
The applicant was not present. The Chair noted that the
application was received less than a week before the meeting and that the
deadline to contest the application was before the April ANC meeting. After
comment and discussion, ANC 2B voted unanimously to protest the application
pending full consideration of the application at the April ANC meeting.
(2B07)
-- ABC Renewals - ANC 2B considered the ABC license renewals for:
2B02 - Al Tiramisu, 2014 P St. NW; Restaurant Nora, 2130 Florida Ave., NW;
Cosmos Club, 2121 Massachusetts Ave., NW
2B05 - Hay Adams Hotel, 800 16th St., NW; University Club, 1135 16th St., NW
2B07 - The Meeting Place, 1100 17th St., NW; The Alibi Club, 1806 I St., NW;
Woman's National Democratic Club, 1526 New Hampshire Ave., NW; Metropolitan
Club, 1700 H St., NW
No action was taken on these renewals as no concerns were identified.
-- Commission Administrative Matters, Old Business, and New Business: The
following administrative matters were approved by ANC 2B. (1) ANC 2B
voted to adopt the January 16, 2002, and February 13, 2002, minutes as
amended. (2) ANC 2B voted to approve the first quarterly financial
report for FY 2002. (3) The Chair announced that ANC 2B would be
reviewing and considering a revision of its bylaws during the coming months.
-- Potential Expansion by Peppers: The Chair announced that a fact
finding hearing was held by the ABC Board on March 13, 2002. The board
held the hearing to consider the result of an ABRA investigation conducted
at the request of ANC 2B and DCCA on unapproved construction and expansion
by the licensee. The board is scheduled to announce their findings
from the hearing by the end of March.
-- Proposed Voluntary Agreement to Address Community Concerns Regarding the
Tutorsky Mansion: The Chair announced that a negotiating team
representing ANC 2B, DCCA, neighbors, and area residents had been in
substantial negotiations to develop a voluntary agreement to address
neighborhood concerns related to the BZA application of Humberto Gonzalez.
ANC 2B is a protestant in the matter and authorized the negotiation of
a voluntary agreement at its January meeting. Although incomplete at
the time of the meeting, the agreement will bar expansion of the facility,
prohibit an ABC license (except for a certain number of daily licenses),
detail specific arrangements for the management of events, and address
issues related to the management of B & B operations. The BZA is
scheduled to hear the case on March 19, 2002. The Chair noted that he
anticipated negotiations to continue through March 18th, and requested
authority to execute the agreement should negotiations be successfully
completed. After substantial discussion, ANC 2B voted unanimously to
authorize the Chair to enter into a voluntary agreement which addresses the
concerns of ANC 2B and neighbors. (Editor's note: On March 19,
2002, the BZA ruled that the application was incomplete as the variance for
accessory use (for events) and variance for additional employees were not
listed on the original application. The applicant was directed to
reapply and a hearing was scheduled for June 4, 2002. The neighborhood
cooperation agreement was not executed as negotiations on the final language
was still on-going. Negotiations are suspended until the parties
receive notice with the revised application.)
Next Meeting
The next regular meeting of ANC 2B will be April 10, 2002; 7:30 p.m.; St.
Thomas Parish; 1772 Church St., NW.
ANC 2B Commissioner Information
ANC 2B - 296-7333; anc2b04@aol.com
2B01 - Norma Zane Chaplain, 234-2880, normazane@aol.com
2B02 - Vince Micone (Chair), 607-8429, vnm3@rcn.com
2B03 - David Jolliffe, 518-7844, jolliffe20@aol.com
2B04 - Jeff Hopp (Treasurer), 332-8508, anc2bjeff@aol.com
2B05 - Doug Damron (Secretary), 271-295, dougdamron@yahoo.com
2B06 - Marilyn Newton, 833-1344, marilynnewton@compuserve.com
2B07 - Irv Morgan (Vice Chair), 265-8575, irvmorgandc@aol.com
