Nightlife is arguably one of the most exciting aspects of going to school in the District. Georgetown would be Ho-Hum University in a small college town were it not for the eclectic group of bars, restaurants and clubs all over the city that provide activity for students who want to get beyond Healy Gates. But owners of these establishments are finding it increasingly more difficult to conduct business without the interference of neighborhood groups that some believe are bent on shutting down the city’s post-sundown activity. These groups?among them citizens’ associations and Advisory Neighborhood Commissions across D.C.?have a great deal of influence over local regulating authorities and can even have businesses shutdown if they wield all of their might. But a new group is hoping to change all of this.
The Committee for a Living City, founded recently by Frederic Harwood, is a conglomeration of owners of bars, clubs and restaurants?”taverns,” according to the law?who have joined together to oppose excessive regulation by city agencies and interference from the minority of neighbors who complain. The committee seeks to raise awareness of the fact that these citizens’ associations are wreaking havoc on Logan Circle, Adams Morgan, U Street Corridor, Mt. Pleasant and Dupont Circle establishments by harassing city inspectors into scrutinizing taverns and threatening to block license approvals if the owners do not give in to their demands. By curbing their power, Harwood claims, the quality of the city’s nightlife will vastly improve.
“There are 50 or so people in these areas who are driving the agenda for the 475,000 people who live in the District. That doesn’t make any sense,” Harwood said in an interview. He has a good point, as well as some good ideas for improving the quality of life of neighbors, business owners and the patrons of their establishments.
Much of the committee’s plan includes modifying the laws and regulations that relate to taverns. It supports lifting the required closing times for bars and clubs in order to ease the mass exodus of patrons that inevitably leads to noise and public urination problems.
“People get in without noise problems. It makes sense that if they leave the same way?in groups of two or three, rather than all at once?the problem will be solved,” Harwood said.
The group also has a sensible way of addressing security at taverns, another oft-heard concern of residents who leave near the establishments. Currently, Metropolitan Police Department officers are prohibited from working when they are off-duty as security guards at locations where alcohol is served. If the rule were changed, there would be a professional security presence that could send a much stronger message to people who might cause trouble.
“Establishments and ANCs should be thinking outside the box,” Harwood said, “about what the real problems are and how we can fix them.”
Although Harwood admits that few Georgetown area establishments have joined the committee so far, he is hopeful that the committee will attract more soon. Given the history of ANC and neighborhood associations’ relationships with area bars and restaurants, it would be beneficial for Georgetown businesses to collaborate with the group. If they choose not to, you’d better get used to staying in, watching TV and ordering Domino’s, because you won’t have many other options.
