The NorThwesT CurreNT

Wednesday, November 21, 2012 Serving Communities in Northwest Washington Since 1967 Vol. XLV, No. 47
Pair of senior
hoops stars at
GDS sign letters
of intent
Page 11
Parents rally to
save Garrison,
Francis-Stevens
schools
Page 3
NEWS SPORTS
Students bring
A Civil War
Christmas to
GU stage
Page 17
HOLI DAYS I NDEX
Business/13
Calendar/20
Classifieds/29
District Digest/4
Exhibits/23
In Your Neighborhood/10
Opinion/8
Police Report/6
Real Estate/19
School Dispatches/14
Service Directory/26
Sports/11
Tips? Contact us at newsdesk@currentnewspapers.com
By BRADY HOLT
Current Staff Writer
Plans for a boutique hotel in Adams Morgan that
include a new 72-foot tower and reuse of the historic
First Church of Christ, Scientist building won unani-
mous initial approval from the Zoning Commission
Monday.
When commissioners first heard about a proposal for
the site at Euclid and Champlain streets in November
2011, some questioned whether such a large building
was even worthy of public hearings. At 92 feet high, that
concept was too big for the neighborhood, some com-
missioners said, and needed revisions before the panel
opened the process for hearings.
At that time, the Zoning Commission voted narrowly
See Hotel/Page 5
Adams Morgan hotel
wins zoning approval
Bill Petros/Current File Photo
The commission gave initial approval to plans to
build an addition to the historic church.
By ELIZABETH WIENER
Current Staff Writer
With a vote on a much-debated
alcoholic beverage control bill right
around the corner, critics are ramp-
ing up opposition to key provisions
they say could limit residents role in
licensing bars and restaurants, and in
protesting noise and disorder.
The D.C. Council is now slated
to take its first vote on the omnibus
bill on Dec. 4.
But its unclear how much the
last-ditch campaign of a new
Alcohol Sanity Coalition will
impact the bill. Members of the
group roamed the halls of the John
A. Wilson Building last week, lob-
bying members before the full coun-
cil took up the measure on Thursday
in its Committee of the Whole.
There was enough concern that
Council Chairman Phil Mendelson
put off a planned first vote that day.
The measure needs two votes on
Dec. 4 and 18 to pass before the
current council session ends.
There are 43 provisions in the
See Council/Page 7
Grahams alcohol legislation
prompts spirited questions
By DEIRDRE BANNON
Current Staff Writer
The D.C. Council concluded a
two-day hearing Monday on D.C.
Public Schools Chancellor Kaya
Hendersons recently announced
plan to shutter 20 schools. More than
100 public witnesses and the D.C.
Council members weighed in on the
controversial proposal over the
course of the 16-hour hearing.
Henderson argued that her school
closure and consolidation plan is a
necessary step to right a system in
which too many underenrolled
schools have become a financial
drain. But as many debated the mer-
its of her plan and what it would
mean for the future of D.C. Public
Schools, a few key themes emerged:
The money
Council members peppered
Henderson with questions about the
savings the school system would see
from the changes, and the benefits
for the schools that remain open.
Parents want to know how this
cost savings will impact their
school, at-large Council member
David Catania told Henderson.
Henderson couldnt answer those
questions yet, saying that its all just
a proposal at this point.
But Catania had come prepared
with a little number crunching from
the report Henderson submitted to
See Closings/Page 18
Debate stirs around school closings
Matt Petros/The Current
Mayor Vincent Gray and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton join Giant
Food president Anthony Hucker (left) and Bozzuto Development
Co. president Toby Bozzuto last week to break ground for
Cathedral Commons. When completed, the project at Wisconsin
Avenue and Newark Street will include a new supermarket.
B R E A k I N G G R O U N D
By ELIZABETH WIENER
Current Staff Writer
An 11th-hour alternative to plans for modernizing
and expanding Hearst Elementary had parents and teach-
ers reeling in a meeting at the North Cleveland Park
school Monday night. But neighbors, who requested the
changes, and school leaders did
agree on a common goal: They want
the work done in one phase, with
completion hopefully by the middle
of the next school year.
Stakeholders also agreed to push
for full funding of the project, wheth-
er the cost is that of the original or the revised plans.
Getting funding sooner rather than later serves every-
one, said PTA co-president David Dickinson after a
hurried presentation in the schools library.
Theres little question that Hearst, at 3950 37th St., is
See Hearst/Page 18
Architect presents revised Hearst design
Bill Petros/Current File Photo
School leaders and neighbors are pushing for a
one-phase renovation at Hearst, but differences
remain over the design of the modernized facility.
Council: Civic coalition
aims to derail provisions
EXPANSION:
Accord may be
near on Horace
Mann project.
Page 3.
The CurreNT wedNesday, November 21, 2012 7
omnibus bill, hashed out by a task
force of representatives from the
alcohol industry, businesses and
neighborhood groups, as well as a
separate group focusing on the issue
of noise.
Opponents complaints center on
a handful of provisions that would
limit protests of liquor licenses to
those living within 400 feet of an
establishment, require citizens asso-
ciations to hold a hearing with a
prospective licensee before lodging
any protest, and allow voluntary
agreements negotiated by an advi-
sory neighborhood commission to
override agreements made by groups
of residents.
And while the bill would beef up
enforcement of noise regulations by
establishing a team of nighttime
inspectors, it would allow a bar or
restaurant to close its windows and
doors before an inspector could
measure the noise level from
outside following a complaint.
The coalition, in a news release,
criticizes the changes as a step
backward in alcohol regulation.
Several council members echoed
the concerns of the coalitions mem-
bers as they peppered Ward 1 mem-
ber Jim Graham, the chief sponsor,
with questions during a brief discus-
sion of the bill Thursday.
What was your thinking, that a
voluntary agreement by an ANC
would terminate other protests?
asked at-large member David
Catania.
What was the rationale about
limiting citizen involvement in the
protest process? asked Muriel
Bowser of Ward 4. She noted that
current law allows five residents
from anywhere in the city to protest
a liquor license.
Graham noted repeatedly that
there are still four entities that can
protest a liquor license, under the
omnibus bill: a community associa-
tion, an adjacent property owner, the
affected advisory neighborhood
commission, and any group of five
residents living within 400 feet of
the establishment. Under the overly
opened-ended current law, he said,
someone in Adams Morgan could
protest a license on Capitol Hill.
Was there any representative
from Ward 3 [on the task force]?
Were any other wards not repre-
sented? asked Ward 3 member
Mary Cheh. Graham replied that the
working group had representatives
from wards 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8, adding
there was no attempt to exclude
others.
Cheh said later that she also has
concerns about the 400-foot limit for
residents protests, about the pro-
posed power of a neighborhood
commission to override other agree-
ments, and the noise provision.
You dont measure noise with
the doors closed. It should reflect
what the neighborhood experienc-
es, Cheh said in an interview.
Graham defers to his working
group, but my ward was left out,
other wards were left out. My com-
munities were not represented.
Graham said he is trying to bal-
ance the interests of alcohol-serving
businesses with the protection of
neighborhoods that surround them.
The bill introduced last June con-
tains intact the 43 recommendations
of the noise and alcohol beverage
control working groups, resulting
from more than 20 hours of meet-
ings and three hearing days. I have
not added or changed a single rec-
ommendation. It was really a middle
ground, he said.
Graham also noted that many of
the recommendations are not con-
troversial, such as allowing Sunday
sales for liquor stores as well as the
sale of beer in 64-ounce growlers,
and requiring noise control training
for alcohol servers.
He is not saying where he comes
down on the 40-foot limit. All these
numbers are arbitrary, he said. Id
be happy to have more discussion.
COUNCIL: Graham hears continued concerns from colleagues about proposed ABC law
From Page 1
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