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Articles
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| Near Northeast looks toward single-sales ban |
VOICE writes, "BY JULIA O’DONOGHUE
Inspired by the moratorium of single-container sales of beer imposed on the eastern portion of H Street, the Near Northeast advisory neighborhood commission is considering a ban of its own.
The commission’s licensing and economic development advisory committee voted Wednesday night on whether to recommend a moratorium on the sale of single-serving alcohol containers along the western H Street corridor and the neighborhood to the north of H Street in the Near Northeast neighborhood. The results were not available at press time.
If approved, the Near Northeast commission would act on the committee’s recommendation. A moratorium on single sales of alcohol would also have to be approved by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and the D.C. Council before it goes into effect. "
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A few years ago, when “Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6A voted to support the moratorium, it took about nine to 12 months” for it to be implemented, said commissioner Alan Kimber, who supports the moratorium.
The commission and its advisory committee gathered input from community members and affected business owners at four public meetings during the last eight months, according to Gerald Morrissey, the advisory committee’s chair. The response has been overwhelmingly in favor of a moratorium, he said.
Residents and some local business owners said they were concerned about the transient people who gather to drink on parts of H Street. Some are rowdy, throw their bottles on the ground and urinate in public space, Morrissey said.
Others think the sales of single containers -- which includes an individual serving of malt liquor or beer and bottles of wine or spirits under a half pint -- encourage panhandling, he said.
“We are not targeting any kind of people. Our neighborhood is diverse, and we want it to remain diverse,” said Morrissey. “But there is a connection of bad activity and single sales,” he added.
In order to be considered for a singles-sale moratorium, a neighborhood must have at least seven stores selling singles within a 1,800-foot radius. The area proposed for the moratorium -- bordered by 2nd Street NE to the east, Florida Avenue NE to the north, 7th Street NE to the west and H Street NE to the south -- includes eight potentially affected stores within 1,800 feet of each other, said Morrissey.
Some of the stores that could be affected have had recent ownership changes, he said, and as for a few others, it is unclear who the owners are and whether the stores are operating.
The community wants to see stores affected by a single-sales ban remain in the neighborhood and possibly diversify what they offer to appeal to some of the area’s higher-income residents, Morrissey said.
He added that Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells offered some encouragement when he said there are several other stores on Capitol Hill that have successfully transformed from single-sale liquor stores to neighborhood markets.
“I hope that the businesses owners would take advantage of the changing demographics. I certainly hope these people would continue to be part of our neighborhood,” said Morrissey, who is trying to pair some of the businesses that could be affected by a moratorium with others on Capitol Hill that have transitioned.
Still, some businesses would be hit hard if a ban on single sales went into effect. Morrissey said single sales make up more than 80 percent of revenue in some stores that would be affected by the ban. Others said they make relatively little -- 15 percent -- off singles.
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Posted on Nov 30, 2007 18:51pm.
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