Aug 21: Alcohol/Cannabis Policy Committee

Sav-On Liquors is proposing to move toward a more residential area. I cannot see any benefit for the community. We already have plenty of access to liquor. The hours of operation do not match with other retail establishments on the block and will only exacerbate the negative impacts of this move.

Can you please explain the rationale on the part of the City for permitting this move?

August 20, 2024

Notes regarding Mercantile tenancy at the ground-floor premises, 1534 14th Street NW.
(Application by SAVON Liquors).

By:
Judy and Darrel Rippeteau
Owners of 1530 14th Street NW, adjacent to the subject property.
Mr. and Mrs. Rippeteau reside on the Second Floor of 1530 14th Street NW, and lease out two residential apartments to other families, on the third floor of the building. Gallery Neptune & Brown occupies the ground floor of 1530 14th Street NW.

We frequent SAVON Liquors at their present location and value the store as a neighborhood resource. We regard a neat and tidy liquor store as a suitable occupancy in our mixed-use urban neighborhood. (The DC Lottery and similar operations should not be allowed in any city with responsible government.)
We ask government to consider our comments and apply suitable controls to any tenancy at the 1534 location.
Perhaps because we are retired, we think reasonable hours of operation should be from around 8:00 AM until about 7:00 PM. We value the fact that 14th Street quiets down after about nine PM so we can sleep well.
The existing storefront projects into the public space, creating blind corners at the south and north sides of the 1534 premises, conducive to public urination and dropping of rubbish if visitors are so inclined.
There are no companion mercantile tenants north of the 1534 premises. The side wall of the Berret School Condominium, extending to the corner of 14th and Q Streets, collects discarded trash and is not regularly cleaned by DC Government. (Can the new liquor store take responsibility for constant cleaning of the space along the condominium wall?)
The more-or-less blank wall of the condominium building invites loitering already, and although we personally value access to alcoholic beverages, we have lived in our wonderful city long enough to know that empty spaces along blank walls without responsible government regulation will foster loitering, littering, defecation and camping.
A car-rental company is already empowered by DC Government to monopolize parking spaces in front of the 1534 14th Street premises, extending along the curb toward Q Street. The business model creates excessive trash as clients clean out their cars upon drop-off, leaving much rubbish in the street, along the curb, and in the adjacent tree-box. City government does not keep up with the litter.
As gardeners and tree-harborers, we very much favor the tree-boxes along our street. However, the DC Government does not maintain sanitary conditions in the tree box near the 1534 14th Street premises, and it normally contains paper, glass, metal and plastic trash, as well as human and animal excrement. Can the new tenant at 1534 14th Street be charged with continuous cleaning of the tree-box, as it will be a new source of wrappers and lottery tickets right there?
Regarding any new mercantile occupancy at 1534 14th Street, how will deliveries in and out of the place be managed? It is not suitable to block the 10-foot alley with standing trucks and there is scant space anyway. We provide off-street parking for our building, however there is no off-street parking for 1534 14th Street. Can the DC Government guarantee us that the neighbor tenancy will not block access to our rear yard/parking area?
Will garbage trucks serving the entire alley from 14th Street to 15th Street NW wait in line while the 1534 tenant takes deliveries?
Will the new tenant double-park trucks in the driving lanes of 14th Street for loading in and out?
We speak for ourselves and our residential tenants, hoping that the SAVON Liquor Store would be a neat, tidy, responsible and quiet neighbor.
Our Ground Floor tenant, the deeply authentic Gallery Neptune & Brown should have a very large say in the matter. This gallery is a flag-carrier for a fine and livable mixed-use neighborhood and is now a local landmark. Having opened originally as “Gallery plan b,” in 2005, the business won immediate attention from the New York Times as an amenity for a new era of urban living. The gallery has given nearly 20 years of service to our community and it deserves careful and uninterrupted protection by the DC Government.