Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6C met on Nov. 13 via WebEx. Commissioners Leslie Merkle (6C02, secretary), Jay Adelstein (6C03), Mark Eckenwiler (6C04, chair), Joel Kelty (6C05, treasurer), Patricia Eguino (6C06) and Commissioner Tony Goodman (6C07, vice chair) were in attendance. Single Member District (SMD) 6C01 is currently vacant.
Owners of Kae LLC at 312 Massachusetts Ave. NE have applied for a new medical cannabis retail license with endorsements for delivery and onsite consumption.
Through use of the GIS mapping tool, there appears to be no “obvious statutory prohibition,” citing the proposed location’s distance from schools, daycare centers and other cannabis retailers, Commissioner Eckenwiler reported. Location alone, however, “obviously doesn’t dispose of the question of appropriateness,” he added.
Commissioner Merkle worried about the establishment’s proximity to residential neighborhoods. “I’m just generally not excited about having this type of business in my SMD,” she said.
Public safety concerns, Commissioner Kelty emphasized, also extend to the products the establishment plans to sell. Kelty encouraged the commissioners planning to negotiate a settlement agreement (SA) with the business to utilize “very controlling language” about the packaging of edibles and quality control of the product being sold. “Because we don’t have a testing facility in DC, a lot of the product is contaminated with pesticides, and, in some cases, amphetamines,” Kelty said.
“We’ve got 21 of these establishments within probably a mile of this place, and they’ve done absolutely horrible damage to H Street,” Kelty added. “I see no reason to allow the same thing to happen on Massachusetts Avenue.”
The commission voted to protest the license.
Other Matters
The commission voted to:
- the amended Historic Preservation Application (HPA) to remove existing rear additions, construct a new addition and basement, renovate the interior and replace the front door and windows at 16 Third St. NE on the condition that the rear addition be two stories, not three, and that the additions will not rise above the base of the mansard;
- protest the new class C restaurant license application of Willow Tree (303 Massachusetts Ave. NE) citing concerns about how the configuration of the alley will impact the establishment’s waste collection and management.
ANC 6C will meet next on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. via WebEx. Visit anc6c.org to learn more about the commission and to attend the meeting.
Sarah Payne is a reporter for Capital Community News. She can be reached at [email protected].
