It’s Official: The Georgetown Liquor License Moratorium Is Over
By • March 30, 2016 0 1317
The liquor license moratorium and cap in Georgetown — in place since 1989 — will expire on April 9, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board announced March 30.
Restaurants and other “multipurpose facilities,” such as galleries and theaters, may apply for a liquor license on April 9, according to the control board statement, which added that there will be no limit on the number of licenses issued.
The change does not apply to any nightclubs or taverns in the Georgetown area, as a separate law limits the number of tavern licenses to six, all of which are filled at this time.
The board noted that its decision was based in part on feedback from the community and local businesses about the decrease of problems like noise and trash that originally warranted the restrictions.
The moratorium has been in place for 27 years and extends 1,800 feet in all directions from the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, according to the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration. It limited the number of liquor licenses issued to restaurants to 68. (The cap did not apply to hotels or to businesses at Washington Harbour on K Street.)
