commissioners for a Class C Tavern Beverage Control License. The tavern has responded to past community noise concerns by reducing the hours of operation and making changes to the property that limit noise from traveling outside. The commissioners voted in favor of the license and noted that the tavern’s responsiveness has made it a good neighbor. Commissioner Rachelle Nigro proposed that the ANC write a resolution in support of single-member district members requesting resident-only parking, in addition to the entire commission requesting it. The commissioners voted in favor of the proposal and will communicate it to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). ANC 6E will meet again at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 1 at the Northwest One Library on 155 L St. NW. Visit www.anc6e.org to view the newsletter; follow on Twitter @ANC6E and on Facebook by searching ANC6E. Steve Holton can be contacted at ssholton@gmail.com and followed on twitter @ssholton. u
Eastern Market Report By Peter J. Waldron North Hall Revenue The Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC) met on Sept. 21. Market Manager Barry Margeson reported that July and August North Hall revenues were $71,548 and $77,125, on pace for a record FY2016 of $265,000 and up $15,000 from 2015. The fiscal year ended on Sept. 30. There were a number of delays in finalizing the year-end profit and loss statement in FY2015. However, EMCAC member Susan Oursler and Margeson resolved confusing financial data, yielding a more comprehensible set of numbers. As a byproduct, noted Margeson, more timely financial information will be available on a monthly basis.
Leases The South Hall merchants have been without leases for over two decades as the market has gone through a number of management changes. The Department of General Services (DGS) currently manages the market. According to Margeson, DGS is on the cusp of “finalizing the leases” with Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Kane having scheduled a meeting with EMCAC Chair Donna Scheeder on Oct. 5. The South Hall merchants need leases to secure credit and in the event of any transfer of ownership.
Holiday Market There is growing interest from the outdoor vendors in having a holiday market during the week before Christmas. In recent years there have been Friday night markets as Christmas approached. This expansion would extend the arts and crafts outdoor vending market, which currently only operates on weekends, to the full week before the Christmas holiday. Margeson is testing the waters with the vendors to see if enough embrace this suggestion. In previous years many of the long-time vendors temporarily abandoned Eastern Market in the weeks before the Christmas holiday, with some committing to the popular Downtown Christmas market. That reduced the opportunities and choices for Hill residents looking for a last-minute gift or trying to support the local arts and crafts vendors.
Parking Parking continues to bedevil the market and is exacerbated by the construction crews from the Hine project occupying a significant number of the paid and metered parking spaces. The Hine project, when completed, will have ample parking inside. The South Hall merchants continue to insist they are hurt by the lack of parking and by the surrounding competitive environment that in many cases offers ample parking. A Trader Joe’s is scheduled for the Hine project.
Hine Update Diane Hoskins, the representative of Advisory Neighborhood Commission C602 to EMCAC, gave an update on the Hine project. She reported that Seventh Street was closed temporarily from Pennsylvania Avenue to C Street for the
movement of a crane. The north building is “undergoing masonry work” and will be ready at the end of this year. Work on the south building continues. There was a brief discussion of whether the decorative pavers adjacent to the market would be added to lower Seventh Street as well as the newly created C Street.
Eastern Market Main Streets EMCAC Chair Donna Scheeder announced that “no letter of support was given” to the newly formed Eastern Market Main Streets (EMMS) organization because EMCAC has been unable to meet with representatives of EMMS. An outgrowth of the Merchant Row Business Association, EMMS had applied for funding from the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) and was waiting for a decision in October. EMMS and EMCAC representatives had hoped to meet to assess possibilities for working together, but according to Scheeder EMMS “postponed the meeting” while it waited on the funding decision. The Main Streets program was created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to help communities preserve and revitalize their commercial districts. The District Council approved funding in May 2016 for lower Seventh Street as well as Pennsylvania Avenue between Sixth and Eighth streets SE.
Ten-Year Fire Anniversary The 10th anniversary of the devastating Eastern Market fire of April 30, 2007, is looming. With support from the Fenty administration, the District government poured $22 million into restoration. A decade later the market is searching for the means to make capital improvements. EMCAC, the market’s advisory group and essentially its board of directors, has put its proposed five-year plan on hold because of the sudden resignation of DGS Director Christopher Weaver in August. EMCAC has no way of raising or budgeting money for needed capital improvements because its revenues are captured by the District government, although there is a legally established repository for market revenues called the Enterprise Fund. Interim Director Greer Gillis has yet to address this issue. u
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