The ABR committee's main responsibilities are to review liquor license applications in ANC1B and convey community feedback/concerns to ABRA, DC's alcohol permitting/enforcement office. The ABR Committee is the community’s main vehicle to engage on all alcohol license issues in ANC 1B (e.g., new license requests, license renewals, substantial change applications, Settlement Agreement negotiations, etc).

Process

1.     Application: An establishment applies for a new liquor license, liquor license renewal, or substantial change application from ABRA, DC's alcohol permitting/enforcement office.

 2.     Placard: ABRA issues a placard which the applicant must physically place on the establishment in public view for the 45 days from the posting date listed on the placard. The placard is also sent via email to all elected Commissioners of ANC1B. The placard contains key information such as proposed hours of service, endorsements such as entertainment, outdoor space, etc.

 3.     Agenda: Upon receipt of the placard, 1B ABR Committee Chair adds the applicant to the agenda of the upcoming ABR committee meeting. Placards received within 7 days of the upcoming meeting will be added to the following month’s agenda. The applicant information will also be added to the committee’s license tracking spreadsheet. See additional information in the License Tracking Sheet section below.

4.     Meeting: The ABR committee will meet on its scheduled date at its scheduled meeting time (3rd Wed. of each month at 7pm). During the meeting, members of the committee and community members in attendance have the opportunity to present concerns or feedback related to applications before the committee. Commissioners have the option to extend an invite to an applicant in their district to make a presentation in front of the ABR committee and answer any questions that may arise. 

 5.    Formal Action: At the Committee meeting, the committee can either take “No Action” on the application OR vote to recommend a “Protest” of the application due to community concerns/feedback. If the committee recommends a protest, the full ANC must vote to accept the committee’s recommendation and initiate the protest at its next meeting. The ANC must notify ABRA of its protest in writing by the petition deadline listed on the placard, which is forty-five (45) days after the Posting Date. A protest by the ANC does NOT impact an establishment’s current license or ability to operate until a final decision by the ABRA board (After Step 8).

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***Note: Oftentimes a protest is avoided by the establishment entering into a Settlement Agreement with the ANC. The ANC can also withdraw its protest at any point during Steps 6-9 below if a settlement agreement is reached. The full ANC must vote to approve a final Settlement Agreement. More information in the Settlement Agreement section of this page. ***

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6.     Roll call hearing (protested applications only): An ABRA hearing set for two (2) weeks after the Petition Date, during which the ABRA Board’s Agent determines if the protesting parties have standing.

7.     Mediation date (protested applications only): An ABRA-facilitated meeting between the applicant and protestants conducted by the Board’s Mediator to seek dispute resolution between the Parties.

8.     Status hearing (protested applications only): Parties come before the Board to discuss the Status of the Protest.

9.     Protest hearing (protested applications only): a date for a Formal Hearing conducted by the Board (set in advance for ALL new applications OR scheduled as a result of a protest) during which Parties present arguments and witnesses, and after which the Board issues a written Order within 60-90 days.

License Tracking Sheet

The Chair of the ABR Committee maintains a tracking spreadsheet with the status of all license requests scheduled for review by the Committee, including any related action(s) taken by Committee and/or the full Commission.

Settlement Agreements

A Settlement Agreement (SA) is a contract between an establishment seeking to obtain or renew a license to serve alcoholic beverages and the community (as represented by the ANC) regarding the establishment’s operational practices. The purpose of the SA is to address community feedback regarding an establishment’s operations. SAs are generally negotiated between the ANC commissioner in whose Single Member District the establishment is located and the owner or manager of the establishment or their attorneys. Examples of issues addressed in Settlement Agreements include:

• Hours of Operation, Noise, Outdoor Space

• Trash, Rat/Vermin Control

• Patrons, Crowding

• Entertainment, Music

• Other concerns as appropriate

Final Settlement Agreements must be voted on and approved by the full ANC commission. Previous Settlement Agreements are public records can be found on ABRA’s website here.

Community Feedback

There are several methods for you to submit feedback about a bar, restaurant, nightclub, liquor store, or other ABRA-licensed establishment:

Contact ABRA directly when an issue is observed-

• ABRA Main Line—202.442.4423 (Mon. through Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m)

• ABRA Afterhours Hotline —202.329.6347 (Everyday, 7:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.) You may be asked to leave a voicemail message if ABRA investigators are in the field or on another call.

• ABRA Online Feedback Form

Complete the ANC1B Feedback Form- To submit a concern/complaint OR compliment about an establishment to the ANC1B ABR Committee, please use the feedback form below. This data will be compiled and reviewed during the ABRA License renewal process.

Contact your Commissioner- You can always contact your specific ANC1B Commissioner if you have concerns/feedback about an ABRA-licensed establishment. Find your commissioner here.

Attend an ABR Committee Meeting- Meetings are held the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 7pm. There are opportunities for community members to weigh in at various points during the meeting.

Membership

The Committee strives to have wide representation from across the ANC. In addition to elected commissioners, engaged community members who attend 3 or more consecutive meetings may be voted onto the committee as members. Contact the Committee Chair if you are interested in serving on the committee.

Committee Members

• Committee Chair, Commissioner Ashleigh Fields, 1B07

• Commissioner Sabel Harris, 1B08

• Aileen Johnson, Resident of 1B08

• Frank Chauvin, Resident of 1B02

• Evan Schlom, Resident of 1B02

• Karen Gaal, Resident of 1B04

Residents of ANC 1B 01, 05, 06, 07, 09, 10, 11 all encouraged to apply.