Eckington, don’t go crazy and give away your right to demand things just because you want a new establishment. IMGoph over at Bloomingdale (for now) has a good post on the Baraki bar, pizza joint, whatever that is looking for an ABC license. Which is fine, but reports so far have not had the owners approaching the ANC or any of the people with an official voice in protesting the license. The protests are not so much from being against such an establishment but rather wanting the owners to talk to the community and selling neighbors on the concept. IMGoph states it best when he writes:
humbly coming before the neighbors, looking to become a neighbor yourself, would do them well here in bloomingdale. i hope the owners are listening.
A little neighborhood buy in wouldn’t hurt.
Another thing, according to the post Shiloh had spent $40K on protesting Queen of Sheeba. [bites tongue]
Geoff is young and idealistic. There is no faulting him for that.
Give him 10 years and a mortgage on a property near 1st & T NW, and he will no doubt have a different perspective.
Ich bin sehr confuz-zed?
I don’t get what you’re saying.
I’ve only had my mortgage for 7 years so I don’t know if my little ol’ opinion matters, but I think it is a good idea if the owners gave some presentation to the ANC or other community group.
The owners did conduct a presentation to the community at Windows Cafe & Market.
The instant distrust that their liquor license application engendered, even among non-property owners in the 'hood, (Geoff, Shiloh Church spokesman, etc.) is a bit too much.
If folks want to get up in arms over development that will impact the community; look to the north. McMillan Sand Filtration site development is going to be massive, and the traffic it generates alone will have tangible effects on all of our lives. (not to mention all the impact from the housing, retail, and office space slated to go in there)
Leave Baraki Alone! (if you're familiar with the "Leave Brittany Alone" guy, you'll know what I'm sayin')
leave baraki alone!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eOSDRNOLp4
Which community group did they present to? Maybe that group can provide some more light.
Considering an ABC license is nearly impossible to revoke. Any community, no matter how much they’d like a new establishment, must approach the whole thing carefully, ask questions and challenge.
The argument regarding ABC licenses and voluntary agreements was one of the things that got me involved in the community and on-line advocacy back when I was a renter in Logan Circle. I consider voluntary agreements mandatory, that or it should be easier for those residing within 200 ft to have the license revoked.
ajin: i’d like to ask you a few questions, and i’d prefer to take them offline, so could you email me please? since you know who i am, i’d like to know who you are.
a few things that i need to rebut in public here though. i intend to remain idealistic, even though i can’t pull a peter pan and stay young. you can tell me i won’t all you’d like, but i’ve clearly found myself leaning more that way all the time as i age, so maybe i’m the exception to the rule.
secondly, i don’t distrust the liquor license (as if you can trust a liquor license in the first place) one bit. i want the restaurant/bar here yesterday. i want a couple of them. don’t dare assume that i don’t. if you read my blog carefully, you’ll see that i’m trying to speak to what i feel the owners need to do to ensure minimal friction in the community. perhaps i didn’t make that clear enough for you.
seriously, email me.