Parched in Shaw

PARCHED IN SHAW

As development continues to push eastward in DC, friction between older established residents (mostly African American) in Shaw and newer affluent residents (many white, some gay) continue to erupt. Parking is one source of disagreement in Shaw and nearby Logan Circle, but so are liquor license requests.

For starters, Vegetate at 1414 9th Street NW in Shaw has been trying to get a liquor license for some time. Shiloh Baptist Church at 1500 9th protested the request, noting the vegetarian restaurant is within 400 feet of Seaton elementary. Under DC law an establishment serving alcohol cannot be within 400 feet of a school. Case closed? Not really.

As Vegetate tells it, "the city investigator did a measurement that -- we assert is ridiculous -- from the corner of the garage behind our building, which we don't use, to the corner of the school's baseball field and it was 334 feet." A door-to-door measurement is more like 900 feet says Vegetate. Here's what the WaPo has to say.



Similarly, the Queen of Sheba, Ethiopian restaurant (above), is in a similar tussle with Shiloh Baptist over its request to sell booze at its location at 1509 9th St. NW. Thirdyly, Be Bar at 1318 9th St. also has run into difficulties. ANC 2c voted against granting it a liquor license after the pastor from the Scripture Cathedral, a nearby church, provided the commission with allegedly false information about the bar's planned operations, according to the Northwest Current and the Blade. (Thanks for the tip from the alert reader.)

Shesh. Can't a guy get a drink around here?

pix by DC Rob