Singles Ban a Go

Press release from Tommy Wells:

Moratorium on Single Sales of Alcohol on H Street, NE Approved By Council
(Washington, DC) -
By a 9 to 2 vote, the Council of the District of Columbia approved the ABC Board proposal to implement an H Street, NE moratorium on single sales of alcohol at their July 10th meeting. This represents the final approval necessary to implement the moratorium.
In February, citing chronic problems with peace, order and quiet, specifically with respect to litter, loitering, public drunkenness, public urination and criminal activity persistent on H Street, NE, the ABC Board proposed a 3-year moratorium on the sale of single containers of beer and liquor sold in half-pint volume from the 700 to 1400 block of H Street, NE. Following this approval, the ABC Board will publish final rules in the DC Register and has indicated they will give the affected businesses a 30-day grace period before beginning enforcement.
“A moratorium will go a long way to address some of the chaos and crime afflicting H Street, NE,” commented Mr. Wells. “On top of that, the neighborhood is tired of people using the streets, alleys and treeboxes as public urinals and trashcans. To realize the promise of H Street, this is a necessary step to bring back order and stability and make it a thriving asset for the neighborhood.”
ANC 6A first asked the ABC Board to issue a ban on singles sales in September 2006 after years of trying to work one-on-one with liquor store owners and with voluntary agreements. After a public hearing with neighborhood residents in support of the ban, in addition to hearing support from Mayor Adrian Fenty, Councilmember Tommy Wells, the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the ABC Board cited concerns about peace, order and pedestrian safety, and a negative impact on economic development, as additional reasons to impose the moratorium.
The Committee on Public Works and the Environment, chaired by Councilmember Jim Graham, held a public roundtable on June 28th to get further public input. ANC Commissioners from 6A, 6C and 5B all testified in support of the moratorium, as well as many residents who live along the H Street, NE corridor.
“For too long, we’ve had individuals using our curbsides and sidewalks as open-air bars. We’ve seen the effect a singles ban can have in other neighborhoods. I’m proud to support the ANC and residents to put the moratorium in effect and begin calming the chaos on H Street, NE,” added Mr. Wells.

The Hill: Singles Night

The Hill briefly mentions H Street's proposed singles ban.

WT: H Street Singles Ban

Another offering from the Washington Times.

WT: Singles B an on H

The Washington Times has...um, well, they've got something on the H Street proposed singles ban.

DCist: Saving the Single Beer

DCist has a piece on H Street's potential ban on the sale of single beers. One realy odd thing is that the DCist posting attributes a comment left on an earlier City Paper (City Desk) posting to Joe Englert. The comment was left by someone calling himself "Joe Hstreet." It sounds from the comment like "Joe Hstreet" lives near H Street. Joe Englert, even though he's a regular sight on H Street, doesn't live here. Is this comment really from Joe Englert? I'm skeptical, but maybe I'm wrong (I would assume that DCist would verify something like that).

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UPDATE
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definitely not a comment left by Joe Englert. The DCist writer should have been a bit more careful on this one.

City Desk: Yuppie Applauds Single Beers

The City Paper's blog weighs in on H Street's proposed singles ban. Little does the author know that all he has to do (if he's on the eastern end of the corridor) is walk a block or two to Florida, or head straight up Bladensburg.

ANC 6C Meetings Re: Singles Ban

Received today:
Please come out to one or more of the public meetings, so that ANC 6C is able to hear your views on a possible single sales moratorium along H Street in ANC 6C. The more community participation, the better!

All meetings will be held at the Northeast Library at:
330 7th Street, N.E. at Maryland Avenue, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002
202.698.3320

Wednesday, February 21, 2007 - 7.30 - 9.00pm
Saturday, March 10, 2007 - 10.00-11.30am
Wednesday, March 21, 2007 - 7.30 - 9.00pm

Best,

Alan Kimber
Commissioner, ANC 6c05
(c) 202-390-0235

Blog: http://anc6c05.blogspot.com
Website: www.alankimber.org

ANC 6C Considers Singles Ban

The owner of Brother's Liquor (Florida Ave) arrives at work in the morning.

ANC 6C (6C covers the western portion of H Street, and 6A covers the eastern portion) is considering following ANC 6A's lead & pursuing a ban on the sale of single beers (it seems unclear if the ban will cover only beers, or small bottles of liquor as well) on H Street. It will be interesting to see how a ban might affect the area. Will it reduce crime? Will it reduce loitering (I know from having been in Brother's Liquor when some of the guys hanging on the corner Street do their buying that at least one of them sometimes clutches an O'Doul's inside a paper bag)? Will people just walk up the block & buy a beer from Brother's Liquor (Florida Ave), or Rose's Liquor (Bladensburg Road)?

Rose's Liquor on Bladensburg

CP: H Street Singles Ban

The City Paper reports on the looming H Street singles ban in "Take It Inside."