This summer, Policy Restaurant at 14th and T Streets requested a termination of their liquor license settlement agreement (SA) – terms and conditions agreed upon by neighbors and the restaurant to protect residents and help establishments gather support. Since January, Policy has been discussing with me and other neighborhood leaders their desire to stay open one hour later and to expand business into their basement.

The ANC decided to “protest” the termination application not because we thought their requests were unreasonable, but because we think settlement agreements play an important role in solidifying the relationship between an establishment and a neighborhood. Policy agreed and the owners and I began discussing language for a new agreement.

Four groups protested the termination: the ANC, the Dupont Circle Citizens Association, the Shaw Dupont Citizens Alliance and a group of five or more neighbors. At our first meeting, there was little if any agreement on terms to a new SA, even among the protestants. Concerns about noise, parking and trash were all discussed and it became clear that an agreement among all of the parties would be difficult but not impossible.

With the help of ANC Commissioners Kevin O’Connor and Will Stephens, the ANC led an effort to bring together all of the protestants and the restaurant and finalize an agreement that we could all get behind. We avoided a lengthy ABC Board protest hearing and set new and clear expectations for how Policy will operate as a member of the neighborhood.

Negotiations of this type have failed before, but this is an example of how the process is supposed to work: neighbors and businesses coming together to agree on how they can best coexist and thrive.

The owners of the restaurant, Raj Multani and Asim Walia, have been excellent to work with and the representatives from the neighborhood associations were equally willing to find a middle ground on issues important to those that live nearby.

Download the signed Settlement Agreement with Policy Restaurant below:

Today the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board took the advice of the Dupont Circle ANC and lifted restrictions on opening new restaurants on and near 17th Street NW. In August, I wrote about the 20-year old East Dupont Moratorium and what it might mean to alter or eliminate it.

At our meeting in August, the ANC voted on two options: one was to recommend elimination of the moratorium altogether, the second was to continue the moratorium for three years, but only restrict new bars and nightclubs. As I did for the 14th and U Street proposed moratorium, I voted against a moratorium as a legitimate policy option for our neighborhood. I think the unintended consequences of a moratorium outweigh any potential gain for residents, while creating yet another issue that divides our community every few years.

With a 4-4 tie, the Dupont ANC voted to recommend extension of the moratorium for three years, but only for bars and nightclubs. As they did with 14th & U, the ABC board listened to the neighborhood commission and implemented a significantly “overhauled” and less restrictive moratorium. You can read the Board’s press release here.