Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6C met Jan. 8, 2025. The following were on the dais: Jeremiah Foxwell (6C01), Karen Wirt (6C02, chair); Jay Adelstein (6C03, treasurer); Mark Eckenwiler (6C04, vice-chair); Daniela McInerney (6C05); Andrew Hayes (6C06, secretary) and Tony Goodman (6C07).
Chair Wirt provided an update on the status of an application from KAE LLC (312 Massachusetts Ave. NE) to the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis istration (ABCA) for a new medical cannabis retail license with endorsements for delivery and onsite consumption.
The ANC first voted to protest the application in November 2024, citing public safety concerns as well as the proximity of the proposed location to residential neighborhoods. District regulations require at least 400 feet between a new medical cannabis retailer and any one of the following: school, daycare center, recreation center or a cannabis retailer who already holds a license.
In November, commissioners noted concerns with the proximity of schools and similar businesses from the proposed address but deferred to ABCA.
At the January 2025 meeting, Wirt told commissioners that the applicant had not appeared for a scheduled Dec. 9, 2024 roll call hearing before ABCA, so the application was dismissed.
However, the applicant has since reapplied, re-starting the entire process. Wirt said that she expects that ANC 6C will again protest the application.
The chair proposed that commissioners research potential issues with the site’s proximity to schools as well as similar businesses, research that Eckenwiler said he had initiated late last year.
Alcohol and Cannabis Licensing (ACL) Committee Chair Drew Courtney said that there was some question about whether there was a distinction in law between cannabis and hemp retailers. “Commissioner Wirt and I had a long conversation with ABCA, and as far as ABCA is concerned, hemp and cannabis are precisely the same,” Courtney said.
The lack of distinction is significant because Flowerz Dispensary, which bills itself as a hemp retailer, is located a few doors from the proposed KAE location, at 318 Massachusetts Ave. NE.
There was no vote on the matter.
Election of Executive Officers and Committees
The ANC elected a new executive in an unopposed election presided over by former 6C01 commissioner Christy Kwan. Karen Wirt was again elected as chair, a role she held from 2006-2022; Mark Eckenwiler takes on the role of vice chair. The role of treasurer is assumed by Jay Adelstein; and the secretary is newly elected commissioner Andrew Hayes.
The ANC renamed the ANC’s Alcohol Beverage Committee; it is now the Alcohol and Cannabis Licensing (ACL) Committee.
Commissioners also voted to confirm the following resident and Chairs of the ANC 6C Committees:
Alcohol and Cannabis Licensing (ACL) Committee
Chair: Drew Courtney, 6C07
- Tom Ulan, 6C01
- Commissioner Karen Wirt, 6C02
- James Hecht, 6C03
- Emily Beline, 6C04
- Steve O’Neal, At-Large
- Graham Grossman, At-Large
- Michael Upright, At-Large
Grants Committee
Chair: Victoria Lord, 6C04
- Ivey Wohlfeld, 6C01
- Leslie Merkle, 6C02
- Commissioner Jay Adelstein, 6C03
- Kristen Seals, 6C05
- Commissioner Andrew Hayes, 6C06
- Norah Rabiah, 6C07
- Danica Petroshius, At-Large
- Dan Griggs, At-Large
- Jason Starr, At-Large
Planning, Zoning and Economic Development (PZE) Committee
Chair: Commissioner Mark Eckenwiler, 6C04
- Michael Parker, 6C01
- Donna McLean, 6C02
- Dru Tallant, 6C03
- Commissioner Daniela McInerney, 6C05
- Kateri Spear, 6C06
- Josiah Stevenson, 6C07
- Lauren McHale, At-Large
- Mary Albert, At-Large
Transportation and Public Space (TPS) Committee
Chair: Michael Upright, At-Large
- Joe McCann, 6C01
- Andrew Turner, 6C02
- Commissioner Jay Adelstein, 6C03
- Christy Kwan, 6C04
- Kim Johnson, 6C05
- Nathan Gray, 6C06
- Garrett Hennigan, 6C07
- David Abernethy, At-Large
- Mark Kazmierczak, At-Large
In Other Business
The Commission voted to:
- Approve an expenditure of up to $75 per commissioner for the purchase of business cards. For uniformity, Commissioner McInerney will propose a design that all ANC 6C commissioners can use and which she will bring to the February meeting.
- Approve spending for web hosting, data storage and web services to HostGator. The amount approved was $536 for two years of service.
- Protest an application from The Consortium (201 Massachusetts Ave. NE), the former location of the Red River Grill, for a new Class C tavern license. The protest is in pursuit of a Settlement Agreement (SA) to address concerns with noise, capacity and concerns related to the possibility that promoters using the space may charge a cover. The venue is a job training center and event space that offers per-employment drug testing and employment trainings. They have previously applied for catering licenses for events, which they say is not cost-efficient. The applicant is also contemplating a daily happy hour open to the public.
ANC 6C generally meets via Webex on the second Wednesday of every month with the exception of August. The next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 12. See the full calendar of meetings and instructions to at anc6c.org.
