Emails Reveal More Details in Big Bear Cafe/ANC Quarrel
A Bloomingdale blog has republished emails exchanged between ANC Commissioner Gigi Ransom, Big Bear Cafe owner Stu Davenport and blogger Tom Bridge which really give some insight into what kind of mess can result when a small business in D.C. wants to expand in the face of community opposition.
Bridge penned a post yesterday about the Commission's allegation that Big Bear has been operating illegally by not conforming to zoning regulations; Bridge concluded that "despite what the commissioners of ANC 5C said in their opposition ruling, Big Bear has been operating legally, under the zoning commission’s rules, with their knowledge, and with all legal permits, including a restaurant permit that runs through May of next year." In the email thread published today, Davenport states that the Cafe had a certificate of occupancy for 8 seats in 2006, which was then expanded with approval from "the DCRA zoning administrator, mechanical engineer, electrical and plumbing engineers" to permit for 49 seats. Davenport does admit that he did "not file the final documents for the final C of O after all work was completed and approved with the building permits," but that the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration and the ANC were aware of both that and the Cafe's intent to file a map amendment to confirm the expansion. (Davenport has also reportedly been in touch with D.C. Office of Zoning director Richard Nero Jr. to get an official clarification on the Cafe's current status.)
In a phone interview today, Bridge called the response of the ANC "certainly not the sort of thing that I would have hoped for from public officials in my neighborhood."
"I see a lot of short-sightedness on their part," said Bridge. "Businesses in that location have had that [zoning] variance in place for 105 years...[the ANC is] trying to make anything an issue at this point," Bridge added.
"The facts in the ANC resolution as stated were inaccurate," Davenport contended in his email. Davenport made the accusation that Ransom and fellow Commissioner Barrie Danneker "continue to state the facts incorrectly to the ANC, the public, and the press." Davenport also claims that Ransom "filed a complaint with the Office of Campaign Finance" and that he "was told to not participate in the conversation or communicate with the ANC in any deliberation or ongoing discussion" -- which clashes somewhat with Ransom's assertion that she "wish[ed] Stu had worked more with us" at Tuesday night's ANC meeting.
As you can see, it's a whole lot of he said, she said at the moment -- all sides playing defense and barely giving an inch, if anything. The D.C. Office of Zoning is scheduled to rule on the Cafe's switch from an R-4 to C-2-A permit on Monday (you can find detailed information on what those permits mean here), while ABRA is still on schedule to hold a hearing on the Cafe's alcohol license application on July 26th.
But this kind of thing will certainly have ripple effects that far surpass a simple zoning dispute among neighbors.
"I certainly would encourage people in ANC 5A to at least look at their options, when it comes to election time," said Bridge. ANC petitions, which only require 25 signatures to get on the ballot, are available in early August and are due in September. "I certainly don't think [the current commissioners] are deeply in touch with what residents in that community want."