Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells has introduced a bill to ban the sales of single beers in his bailiwick, hot on the heels of bans passed for Wards 7 and 8 and the renewal of a ban for Ward 4.
Part of Ward 6, along the 700 to 1400 blocks of H Street NE, already has a single-sales ban (a “moratorium,” actually) set to expire after three years. Wells’ bill would extend a permanent ban to the entire ward.
“As [the other wards’] bills moved forward, I heard increasingly from neighborhood leaders and our elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners that they wanted Ward 6 added to the list of wards prohibiting the sale of singles,” said Wells in a press release.
Another interesting aspect of the legislation: Liquor stores and groceries would be able to get an exception from the ban by entering into a “voluntary agreement” with the local ANC. Heretofore, “voluntary agreements” were almost always restrictive rather than permissive, consisting of additional regulations forced by the community.
The bill’s headed to Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham‘s public works and environment committee.