The debate over extending the Glover Park liquor license moratorium is coming to a conclusion on March 30th. The DC Alcoholic Beverage Control Board will have a hearing at 11:00 that day to review the Advisory Neighborhood Commission's petition to extend and amend the liquor license moratorium currently in place. They are requesting a 5-year renewal of the moratorium, except for restaurants. Taverns and nightclubs still will be prohibited from obtaining new liquor licenses in the Glover Park Moratorium Zone. Hotels still are exempt from the moratorium, and there is no restriction on transfering existing liquor licenses within the zone. On November 12th, 2015 the ANC3B voted unanimously 5-0 to support this petition.
The current moratorium, set to expire on February 22nd 2016, was extended through emergency rulemaking for an additional 90 days in order to have time for the ABRA to conduct this hearing. The petition is expected to be approved. Opposition, and commentary in general on this matter this time around, has been light, although someone has created and maintaned a website in opposition to extending the moratorium.
Some worry that freeing restuarants to get new licenses will lead to a flurry of new restaurants which primarily promote alcohol sales. In reality, there are overriding limitations of high rent and limited visible street-front commercial space which will limit the proliferation of new restaurants.
