"Jitterbugs," by William H. Johnson

The Issue: Local 16, a U Street bar and restaurant owned by Aman Ayoubi, allegedly violated its voluntary agreement with neighbors. A local resident, Allen Smith, complained to D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham about a "long-standing issue regarding noise," claiming that Local 16 "[operated] more as a night club than it [did] as a restaurant." But, one complaint rang loudest—that Local 16 operated an illegal dance floor on the second floor of its building. Graham enlisted the help of the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) to look into the allegations.

Goin' Undercover: Days after ABRA investigators warned Local 16 about the noise violation in early January, investigator Donnell Butler went undercover to check out the alleged dance floor. According to the ABRA case report, Butler "observed people consuming what appeared to be alcoholic beverages, conversation, and dancing ... [he] did not observe any tables or chairs on the second floor, although he was unable to determine that this was a designated dance area." Two more ABRA investigators backed up Butler's report after visiting Local 16 the following weekend; they observed "no tables and chairs on the second floor ... the area was crowded with people dancing."

Just Dance: When another ABRA investigator visited Local 16 to ask questions about the dance floor, Ayoubi said that it was "difficult to stop the patrons from dancing if they wanted to." Ayoubi also argued that he had a good relationship with the community, claiming that Local 16 is not a nightclub.

What's Next? Kick off your Sunday shoes! Last week, the city's Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board voted unanimously to levy a $500 fine against Local 16 for noise violations. As for the dance-floor faux pas? ABC Board member Nick Valenti said "there was a lack of evidence to substantiate that charge."

Image courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum

Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library

The Issue: After the D.C. Public Library announced citywide staff reductions in early June, Cleveland Park residents flocked to their community Listserv last week to gripe about the decision. Residents' anger seems to stem from the seemingly high number of employees dismissed from the Cleveland Park library, specifically. Out of the 40 library employees laid-off across D.C., five worked at the Cleveland Park branch.

The Impact: When coupled with the fact that the branch boasts the highest circulation numbers of all neighborhood libraries in D.C., the decision was bound to be ill-received. "We have indeed been Dewey Decimated," wrote Cleveland Park resident Susie Bennet. Without the part-time employees, Bennet and other residents worry that the library will become understaffed and less useful. "[I] feel that the CP Library is being unfairly targeted by a library administration which seems to believe in process rather than serving the community," Bennet wrote.

The Justification: Library system spokesperson George Williams argued that the lay-offs were necessary. "I would parse it differently," Williams tells City Desk. "The Cleveland Park library actually had more part-time staff than any other neighborhood library. The priority was keeping full-time positions. There were some libraries that lost two, some that lost three, but they didn't have as many part-time staff working."

The lay-offs are only the latest budgetary decision to nip at the heels of D.C. Public Library system. In October 2009, libraries shortened their operating hours, spent less on books, and canceled community programs, such as the Bookmobile, in response to $4.8 million in budget cuts for the 2010 fiscal year. (D.C. Public Library's budget for the 2011 fiscal year shrunk again, less $4.2 million this time around. UPDATE: According to Williams, the 2010 fiscal year budget allocated funded towards "fixed costs such as utilities and telecommunications" in the upcoming fiscal year, which means that the budget cuts amount to $177,000.)

What's Next? Williams tells City Desk that reinforcements are already on their way. Staff members from other libraries are being transferred to the Cleveland Park branch. "We want to ensure that the same level of programming will continue at Cleveland Park," he says.

Photo by drbeachvacation. Creative Commons Attribution License.

Washington Harbour

The Issue: Six Georgetown restaurants, including four along Washington Harbour, are trying to back out of their voluntary agreements with neighbors. The VAs, as they're often called in NIMBY circles, legally bind the operators to certain hours and methods of operation as a condition of their licenses to sell alcohol. Violations of these agreements tend to draw the ire of the District's Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA). Buzzkill!

It's About Flexibility: On Tuesday, the Georgetown eateries (Cabanas, Los Cuates, Mate, Riverside Grille, Neyla, Tony & Joe's Seafood) formally asked local Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2E to let them back out of their existing VAs. "We need more flexibility to extend a little more hours and also expand," says Luis Merchan, co-owner of Los Cuates at 1564 Wisconsin Avenue NW.  "When we got this place, we got it empty. After six or seven months, this place started picking up and crowding. We see that it needs to be upgraded and expanded."

It's About Decibels: Condo owners at Washington Harbour, at least, are none too pleased at the prospect of restaurants reneging, particularly when it comes to restrictions on amplified music. "As soon as you've got amplified music, then you've got people who speak at a higher voice level because they have to speak above the amplified music," says ANC commissioner Tom Birch. "I would like us not to permit any kind of amplified music. It just deteriorates the scene, aesthetically, socially and civilly."

What's Next? Certainly not cranking the volume. The ANC unanimously rejected the restaurants' request to terminate their voluntary agreements.

Photo by Alex Burchfield

We Need the Bus: Hazel Denton of the Citizens Association of Georgetown [CAG] says cutting the Circulator will leave upper Wisconsin residents high and dry: "Eighteen months ago, the mayor said they were going to enhance and streamline transportation, but [if the bus is cut] our service will have been halved in just two years. We feel outraged by this." Some want the Circulator service to extend even farther, to Glover Park.

No, You Don't: Take the 32 or the 36! Asked about the proposed cut, DDOT had no "official response" for now. But according to CAG, it comes down to budget constraints. Drew, commenting online earlier this year, also suggested that probable explanation: "I've never seen one with more than one or two riders. Just what we need, more riderless buses clogging the streets."

Next Step: If you want to keep the route, write the mayor or DDOT and complain. If you don't care, go back to surfing the web.

The Issue:

Proponent: 12th and W is pretty impressed: "It looks terrific, will be a lovely place to people watch. I just hope they have installed enough seating."

Opponent: Joni, meanwhile, bemoans the lack of greenery...in verse:

They took all the trees
Put ’em in a fountain
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see ’em
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a mosaic style fountain…yah!

Next step: The grand opening – Fenty's office should be deciding on a date soon.

Photo courtesy of DDOT

Yes: Robert Parker, NPS Site Manager, stresses the need for planning, management, planning, resources, and...planning: "There is a process. It takes time, resources and planning. We're currently working out a general management plan with a directional format for...how we plan to manage the resources."

He anticipates that work on the site will start around 2012.

Brian Smith sets out his own time frame in the listserv debate: "...this will continue until Malia Obama is 40 years old."

Next step: A general update of the vacant properties question will be presented at the ANC2C meeting tonight.

The report suggests increasing the limit on restaurant frontages from 25% to 40-50%. And—in certain circumstances—lifting the restrictions on heights for buildings used for art-related activities. But is it inevitable that smaller galleries will be driven out?

No: Andrea Doughty, chair of the Arts Overlay Committee, says: "Art galleries are always at the vanguard, searching for cheaper areas. But we want to incentivize so they remain here.... Everybody benefits from these art uses."

Yes: Sandra Truesdale, proprietor of the Emma Mae Gallery says: "People are coming to the neighborhood with more money. Developers see that and put up rent.... I think that the galleries that are not funded and are directed to lower income people, perhaps they will close. The city should come forward and support small galleries."

Next step: The new Arts Overlay District Report is being presented at the ANC 2F meeting on Wednesday, September 2.

Proponent: Adrienne Colman, Superintendent of Rock Creek Park, says: "It's just one of the options. Montgomery County has been sharpshooting for some years now...It reduces the deer population fairly quickly."

As in Montgomery County, the Rock Creek crew would donate the meat to charity. Three words: free venison burgers.

Opponent: John Hadidian, director of the Urban Wildlife Program at the Humane Society of the United States is sticking up for the deer: "We don't think that the deer should be blamed for something that is natural to them. It doesn't seem that there is a compelling reason to kill these animals."

Alexa Fritts, spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association, says: "overpopulation of deer can have a devastating effect on...songbirds."

Next step: The National Park Service is holding a public meeting at the Rock Creek Park Nature Center (5200 Glover Rd NW) on Wednesday, September 2 to debate the options.

Proponent: Alberto Ferrufino of Don Juan restaurant says: "We support the festival 100%. There are a few people here who think they are the king or the government, but I don't know what they are protesting about."

Opponent: Kelly DiNardo, manager of Past Tense Yoga studio, writes in a Google group discussion: "We do have some very serious concerns. The current plans call for a stage almost directly outside of the studio. We could not hold classes with that level of noise outside the studio.... While I think the festival provides other value—cultural enrichment, community involvement—it cannot be allowed to damage or undercut Mt. Pleasant businesses."

Local Resident Sam Broeksmit says: "It's a very hard neighborhood to traverse from East to West. Last year they closed Irving street."

Next step: A community meeting to discuss the festival is set for Tuesday 1 September.

CORRECTION: Kelly DiNardo, of Past Tense yoga studio, was identified as an opponent of Fiesta DC's return. While she did have "very serious concerns" about its impact on her studio's classes, DiNardo says she supports the festival overall.

The Issue: The Abdo – Catholic University of America (CUA) development. It fits in with the Small Area Plan (SAP) aimed at rejuvenating Brookland. Both sides of Monroe Street are to be made over, bringing 725 condos units to the area, along with a number of new retail outlets and cafes.

Proponent: Lisa on 10th sees this as a much needed boost to Brookland. She writes on Brookland listserv:

My husband and I live at "ground zero" for the development too and we are excited to have well done development come to our neighborhood. We do not like have to go everywhere BUT Brookland for retail, a variety of restaurants (we love Bobby's Q and the new Tex-Mex place but 2 — haven't been to Brookland Cafe yet — just isn't enough), a good coffee shop or two, and other retail establishments. Geez, we'd even like to see some healthy competition in the neighborhood.

Opponent: ANC 5A Commissioner Carolyn Steptoe thinks it'll ruin Brookland: "These units will bring in at least another 725 residents. And if they are double occupancy – 1400. We are against the plan because of the magnitude of population density." She's also worried about more congestion, and less park space.

Five ANC commissioners already opposed the Small Area Plan (SAP) before a commission, but the Council approved it anyway, she says.

Former Jefferson Airplane drummer Jerry Peloquin says:

"they'll use 'faux stone'."

Next step: The Abdo/CUA plans appear before a zoning commission on October 5th.