Liquor License Community Working Group
In January, Mayor Bowser introduced a bill to amend several liquor licensing laws to support the recovery of the restaurant industry. The proposed legislation would extend some temporary provisions implemented during COVID and would create new, permanent changes to other provisions. Some of these changes would affect Georgetown restaurants and the neighborhood broadly. The relevant proposals for Georgetown include:
- Eliminate the cap on tavern licenses in Georgetown
- Extend the streatery program on a seasonal basis in 2022 and 2023
- Create a new Commercial Lifestyle License that would allow outdoor consumption within the boundaries of large private developments (in Georgetown this might include Washington Harbour and Prospect Place)
The Georgetown BID, ANC 2E, and Citizens Association of Georgetown have convened a working group with representatives of each organization to see if we can develop a consensus position on the bill and testify before the Council. We anticipate the Council holding a hearing in late spring or early summer. This follows a similar community-based approach to support ending Georgetown’s restaurant liquor license moratorium in 2016.
Community Meetings
The BID, ANC, and CAG hosted two community listening sessions in April 2021 to hear feedback from residents and businesses about the Mayor’s proposals. Click here to view the meeting presentation. The meetings were held:
If you have comments or questions about the Mayor’s proposed changes to liquor licensing, please Joe Sternlieb (jsternlieb@georgetowndc.com) and Jamie Scott (jscott@georgetowndc.com).
