Background
The Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board (Board) considered a petition from the Westminster Neighborhood Association seeking to impose a new moratorium on certain license classes and types in the North Shaw neighborhood.
The Board adopted a rulemaking which will prohibit the following for three years:
- New Retailer’s Class CN and DN nightclub licenses
- New Retailer’s Class CX and DX multipurpose facility licenses
- New entertainment endorsements for any on-premises licensed restaurant or tavern to offer entertainment, a cover charge, or facilities for dancing
- Existing entertainment endorsements for any on-premises licensed restaurant or tavern to add entertainment, a cover charge, or facilities for dancing
- A licensed nightclub, multipurpose facility, or restaurant or tavern with an entertainment endorsement from transferring from a location outside of the moratorium area to a location inside of the moratorium area
- A license holder located within the moratorium area filing a change of license class application for a Class CN, DN, CX (multipurpose facility), or DX (multipurpose facility) retailer’s license
Boundaries
The boundaries of the North Shaw Moratorium Zone can be found in the Notice of Emergency and Proposed Rulemaking.
Exemptions
- Not applicable to any Retailer's Class CH or DH (Hotel) License.
- Not applicable to any license or endorsement application that was pending on the effective date of the original rulemaking.
Status
The ABC Board voted on June 12th, 2024, to give notice of its intent to take final rulemaking action to adopt these rules on a permanent basis in not fewer than 30 days after the date of publication of this notice in the D.C. Register. The emergency rules shall take effect on June 12, 2024, and shall remain in effect for one hundred twenty (120) days, expiring on October 10, 2024, unless superseded by an emergency or final rulemaking. View the current rulemaking.