Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6B held meeting via Zoom Feb. 11, online only due to snow. On the dais: Tyler Wolanin (6B01); Gerald “Jerry” Sroufe (6B02); David Sobelsohn (6B03, Secretary); Brian Gorman (6B04); Samuel Pastore (6B05); Anna Krebs (6B06, Treasurer); Vince Mareino (6B07, Chair); Edward Ryder (6B08, Vice Chair) and Karen Hughes (6B09).
Attorney Daniel Koffman represented Acqua Al 2 (212 Seventh St. SE) in of an application to the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis istration (ABCA) for a Class C Restaurant License. The full-service Italian restaurant is returning to the Eastern Market corridor after closing in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, Hoffman said.
Neighbors have expressed concern about the narrow alley space and about trash and sound mitigation. The applicant seeks an entertainment endorsement to the license, which would allow for live music and dancing, although commissioners were assured that Acqua Al 2 was not trying to achieve a “night club” atmosphere.
There are also concerns about the proposed hours. The restaurant has requested indoor opening hours from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday to Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Patio hours requested are 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. on weekends. The sidewalk cafe is expected to be enclosed.
The ANC voted to protest the application pending discussion with the neighbors in pursuit of a Settlement Agreement (SA). The protest will be dropped if an SA is signed by March 3, the day before the protest hearing is scheduled before the District’s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board.
Proposed ANC Action on “BOWSER” Act
Several residents raised the issue of a possible District-wide Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) action opposing legislation introduced in Congress.
Introduced by two Republican congressmen, the Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident (BOWSER) Act would repeal the DC Home Rule Act and restore Congressional authority over the District.
The residents urged the ANC to take a stand on the matter and asked for advice on the best way to their elected officials. After some discussion, it was agreed that Chair Mareino would the city’s other ANCs to inform them of action in opposition to the bill. The residents agreed to draft a resolution as a starting point for submission to the ANCs with a view to having all 47 commissions vote in . There was no vote on the matter.
Debate on By-Laws Around Resident
The commission voted 7-2 with Sroufe and Pastore abstaining in favor of an amendment to ANC bylaws. The change will allow commissioners to appointment resident to standing committees even when that resident lives outside the SMD of the appointing commissioner, provided the appointee lives in Ward 6.
Proponents of the change to the bylaws said it would increase participation and representation on committees. Sobelsohn said allowing appointments from other single-member districts (SMDs) would enhance geographic diversity of the whole ANC on committees.
Ryder ed the amendment, saying if he could not find a resident member for a particular committee in his SMD he wanted to be able to draw from the vicinity, noting that someone living across the street could be in a different commissioner’s SMD.
Sroufe countered with a motion that would require resident to reside within the same SMD as the commissioner appointing them and also to remove a date constraint from 2024 still in the bylaws, but it was voted down. An amendment to Sroufe’s motion from Hughes to ensure resident would not need to change if the commissioner of an SMD stepped down or otherwise changed was also defeated.
ANC 6B generally meets the second Tuesday of each month except August. The next regular meeting of the full ANC will be a hybrid online and in-person meeting held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 11. See calendar and get information on how to at anc6b.org
