July’s ANC Meeting All About Licensing, Transportation
By • July 8, 2024 0 845
By Paulina Inglima
ANC 2E, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission representing Georgetown, Burleith, and Hillandale, returned to Georgetown Visitation School July 1 for its monthly meeting. The meeting was attended by around eight members of the neighborhood, as well as several in person presenters. The meeting, which also was streamed on Zoom, included five of the eight commissioners in person, two virtual, and one absent.
The hot topics for July’s meeting were licensing and transportation.
The liquor and cannabis licensing section of the meeting held the most controversy, with several neighbors speaking in protest of the opening of a bar called “Creme,” at 1660 33rd street, as its owners have applied for a Tavern license. The bar’s owner, Rassam Rad, who spoke to the commission via Zoom, said he aims to form Creme into a “warm, friendly place where people can enjoy delicious cocktails and wine.”
Several neighbors took issue with the summer garden in the backyard of the establishment, citing privacy concerns as they claim patrons in the garden will be able to look directly into their windows and backyards. One neighbor, Dawn Crafton, whose backyard would share a fence with Creme’s summer garden, called the patio setup an “intrusion on my privacy and my way of life,” with the potential to cause noise issues, rats, and garbage overflow. The ANC will be entering into negotiations with Creme to come to an agreement as to how to solve the issues. The owner suggested adding four feet of shrubbery on top of the fences to block the view, as well as no more than 10-15 people in the garden and strict time limits.
They also discussed a medical cannabis license for DC Capitol Connect, at 1614 Wisconsin Avenue. Both licenses have been temporarily protested while they undergo negotiations.
Ted Randell, a representative from the DC Department of Transportation, presented a report on the state of micro-mobility in Georgetown, which refers to the electric and acoustic bikes and scooters that are stationed through the district. According to Randell, Georgetown is the second most popular destination in DC for bike and scooter rides, behind the National Mall. Commissioners raised concerns about the frequent practice of bikes and scooters being dumped on public sidewalks.
Chairwoman Gwendolyn Lohse, who represents 2E06, remarked that “it’s a real problem to have the sidewalks blocked,” particularly for her constituents with strollers or mobility issues.
Randell and the commission plan to organize a community panel alongside the operators of the scooters and bikes to discuss long term solutions to the issue, including more bike and scooter parking docs, and incentive programs.
The commissioners briefly touched on the Washington Metro Authority (WMATA) Better Bus Plan, a restructuring of the metro system that will result in significant cuts in bus service to Georgetown. Commissioner Topher Matthews said that if the circulator and buses are cut as planned, Georgetown would see a 43% total reduction in bus services. Lohse and Matthews reported that they would be advocating for at minimum one circulator bus passing through the four BIDS in use. Comments on the Better Bus Plan to DDOT must be submitted by July 15.
Lastly, The ANC issued a formal commendation to Jerry McCoy, who is retiring from his role as Special Collections Librarian of the Peabody room at the Georgetown library after 24 years of service to the neighborhood.
The commissioners highlighted his passion for the archives and welcoming spirit as he engaged neighbors in exploring the history of their homes and the neighborhood at large.
“When asked what Jerry has meant to this community and to them specifically, his many admirers reference similar feelings of his commitment, passion and deep knowledge, attention to all requests, lively nature, and the savior of the Peabody room post fire.”
ANC 2E will be taking a break in August, and are slated for their next meeting Tuesday September 3.
