Expanding a bit on
recent posts about the
liquor license application by the owners of the former Star Market (aka the "
Little Red Building" at
2nd and L, next to the
Courtyard by Marriott) to open what the owner has recently described to me as a "tastefully designed Wine and Spirit store." As I
reported (and as now confirmed in the
November Hill Rag's ANC 6D report, since I bailed on the meeting before this came up), the ANC voted to protest the application, but apparently this was as much about timing issues as anything else, and at the same time the application was referred to the ANC's ABC subcommittee to work on a voluntary agreement to ban the sale of "singles." The owner tells me that in fact they are working on plans to redevelop the property, possibly demolishing the
little red building (sniff!) and replacing it with a new building that in addition to upscale liquor sales on the first and second floors could also accommodate a "small sushi saki bar in the 2nd and 3rd floor." He guarantees that the new building "will not be your conventional 'mom and pop' liquor store.' (It should be noted that the Star Market's
Class B [beer and wine/convenience store] liquor license conveyed to the current owners, so this application is for a
Class A license [beer, wine. and spirits/liquor store].) The
ABC application hearing is Nov. 8; the owner hopes to have the plans for the renovation ready by spring. (Hat tip to the
CHT Shareholder Community blog.)
UPDATE: I also wanted to note that the
Capitol Hill Tower developer is opposing this application.