The Noise Issue:

The Deafening Dispute: Protesters arrived at the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6B meeting on Tuesday, April 13, prepared to make some noise of their own. Commissioner Kirsten Oldenburg says residents along the E Street side of the restaurant, located at 500 8th Street SE, have been particularly wary of the music and revelry emanating from the upstairs piano bar. 

The Gracious One: Even the neighborhood Twitterati seemed stunned by proprietor Jorge Zamorano's conciliatory tone toward opponents of the plan. "Discussion on Banana Cafe noise at ANC 6b is surprisingly civil," noted voiceofthehill that night. "Residents even calling owner 'gracious' for altering after hours plan." Adds Oldenburg, "The discussion was 'civil' last night because the owner was genuinely surprised to hear and concerned about the neighbors complaints voiced at our Planning and Zoning Committee hearing last week."

What's Next?: Zamorano is cooperating with the commission to draft a voluntary agreement, binding the bar to certain conditions. He agreed to forgo the additional sidewalk seating and to restrict patrons to entering and exiting on 8th Street. (An auxiliary door on E Street will serve as an emergency exit only.) Zamorano further agreed to install soundproofing in the piano bar. In exchange, the bar will be permitted to extend business hours during the day by 30 minutes. "It is not often we deal with a restaurant owner willing to compromise so much for the sake of his neighbors," says Oldenburg. "Very refreshing."

Photo by Katmere, Creative Commons Attribution License

"As Is, With Improvements": The existing configuration would be kept as it is now – with Pennsylvania Avenue bisecting two separate spaces – but landscape improvements would be made in the name of greening up the area.

The "Triptych": A traffic oval would be constructed in the center of the plaza, effectively splitting the space into three parks – one in the oval's middle and two on each side of Pennsylvania.

The "Central Park":  Pennsylvania Avenue would be diverted all the way around a rectangular space. Think the Hill's Lincoln Park.

Resident concerns, raised at a community meeting in July, run the gamut. The Eastern Market Metro Community Association doesn't want Pennsylvania Avenue diverted, saying it will bring cars and noise closer to residents' front steps. One commenter fretted the triptych plan would add travel time to emergency vehicles. Another said leaving things alone would be just fine.

Check out the various landscape plans and traffic patterns here.

Next Step: A final report, possibly this month, on the "preferred alternative." But the project is years away from breaking ground, if it ever does. It needs governmental go-aheads and, more important, funding. "It's an important long-term project," says Don Denton, a Capitol Hill Realtor who sits on the plaza redesign task force, "if we can get it done."