10-07-2013 Bates meeting minutes: firehouse restaurant owners don't appear to be engaging with the community; Joe Mamo development zoning hearing grants request for only one level of parking

Last night was the Bates Area Civic Association (BACA) meeting.  BACA President Geovani Bonilla has posted minutes from last night's Bates meeting at the batesareacivicassociation.blog.

You can read those minutes here.

Here are two items of potential interest to Bloomingdale residents since they regard the firehouse at 1626 North Capitol Street NW, planned to be the "Washington Firehouse Restaurant", and the empty Joe Mamo lot at 1600 North Capitol Street NW, slated to be developed into a residential/mixed use building:
 
- re Firehouse development: liquor license application is pending, they don’t appear to be engaging with community and claim they didn’t know they were supposed to do that although at least one owner/ interested party was involved in this process in past, this is concerning because facility could have large capacity and need them to be good neighbor, there are now several protests to the license pending including Bloomingdale Civic Association, other issue is parking

 

                                                     
- re Joe Mammo’s project amendment: he wants more units but lower level due to cost and structural requirements, zoning hearing last week granted his request to take out one level of parking despite Bloomingdale’s objection, compromised on request to keep first-floor retail space as planned in that must have retail or show substantial proof of efforts to find retail renter, she also asked to restrict RPP parking for residents in that building to cut down on use of street parking