The Georgetown Metropolitan

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Peacock Cafe celebrates the Persian New Year.
• Dumbarton Methodist celebrates 250 years!

Stephen Starr’s planned Italian restaurant/market for the Georgetown Market building has been delayed as the restauranteur and the developer seek approval to take over the historic building. This is according to multiple sources familiar with the process. Despite the delay, however, the project does seem likely to proceed eventually.

The issue at the heart of the delay is one that GM has discussed many times before. As GM wrote in 2019 when he first reported the project:

The plans for the space were shown and described. As you can see from the floor plan above, the idea is that there would be a market/bakery/gelato/espresso area in the front of the building. And then the rest of the space would be taken up with space for the kitchen and seating areas for the restaurant. It would appear then that the market element of the plan would be rather small, one might say token. That’s notable since federal law actually requires the space to be used as a market.

In other words, in order to be approved as a tenant, the concept needs to satisfy the requirement that it actually be a market. The initial proposal apparently did not fully satisfy that. (GM reached out to Starr Restaurant Group and Jamestown Properties, which manages the property, but did not hear back.)

The DC government is required to sign off on the project, which it has not done yet. Additionally, the Citizens Association of Georgetown also needs to sign off on it. This is because CAG originally sued DC in the 1980’s to compel the city to actually enforce the market requirement (which itself is a product of a 1966 federal law). CAG’s suit came in response to the state of the market as it was run by Herb Miller’s Western Development since 1979. It alleged that Miller wasn’t operating the market as a true food market in the vein of Eastern Market but was instead hosting vendors selling snacks.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Exhibit on DC’s early punk days at GU.
• Even GU, which has had stubbornly high Covid numbers, is finally reporting very few cases.

Two years ago, GM posted some advice how to celebrate St. Pat’s in the early days of the pandemic. Last year, his advice eased closer to his normal advice. And this year, GM can revert back fully to it. So without further ado, here is GM’s annual St. Pat’s article giving you a guide to enjoy the day around Georgetown:

As you may know, during the early 20th century, parts of Georgetown were heavily Irish. The center of it was on the west side, close to the Catholic landmarks of GU, Trinity and Visitation.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The huge yellow mansion on 30th St. was sold for $9 million.
• Takeout Tuesday this week is the new Sticx and Officina.

ANC Commissioner Jenny Mitchell announced over the weekend that she will not seek reelection to her seat this fall. She wrote:

I would also like to let you know that due to work and family commitments I have made the decision to not run again for the ANC.  It has been a great honor and privilege to serve on the ANC.  We live in a wonderful community with many dedicated volunteers and professionals.   I encourage everyone to consider running for ANC 2E02 or 2E03.  If you need additional information about the ANC please contact me. 

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The Washington Post went deep into the supposed Yellow Tavern and found even more evidence than GM did that it is all a lie.
• Speaking of historical taverns living on in name only, here is a review of the new Fountain Inn.

Last month, WBJ reported that the Nike Store may be on the way out. And GM is hearing rumors that the Amazon Books store next door is also on the way out. These closures, if they come to pass, would add to several other large spaces that have also recently become vacant.

Nike took over the space at 30th and M in 2012. Previously the space was used for many years by Barnes and Nobles (offering one of the more popular third places in the neighborhood). Prior to the Barnes and Nobles, the building hosted the Cerberus 1-2-3 movie theater since 1970. Its unusual size and large windows owe to the fact it was originally built as a car dealership.

From the moment Nike moved in it felt like perhaps they bit off more than they could chew. The three vast floors felt empty, particularly to patrons who once roamed the Barnes and Noble’s bookshelves. And the fact that it appears that Nike is bowing out with years left on the lease would suggest they agree with that assessment.