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ANC green lights Quigley's
Posted Thursday, April 21 2005 01:52:12 am
The Foggy Bottom/West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission voted unanimously last night to green light GW’s efforts to expand and renovate Quigley’s Pharmacy into a restaurant for students and the
community. The restaurant proposal is part of GW’s housing initiative to put more students in campus housing. It is in condition with the construction of the new residence hall on F Street.
In a presentation to the community and council members, Michael Akin, director of DC and Foggy Bottom/West End Affairs, said that GW is looking to create a “distinctly more upscale, sit-down style restaurant” in the old building on 21 and G Streets.
Sherry Rutherford, chief of staff for the Office of Business and Operations, said the university is looking to provide students with “an option for them [other than] the Marvin Center, the Subways, to the other options on campus, where they can sit down, share a meal with a faculty member or with their friends or other staff members as well.”
Although no vendor has been chosen yet, Rutherford said that the university has hired a broker to work with both local and national vendors to see who offers the best service for students.
“It is certainly our intention that this not be turned into a low-end or fast food-type operation,” she said. “We are looking for a table service venue and we’re very interested in talking to local business people.”
Aramark, with whom GW has signed a 10-year contract, was mentioned as a possible vendor, but will be given the same chance as others, said Rutherford.
Akin added, “Of probably seven potential applications, three of them have been noble people who have been already working in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, so it’s definitely open to local vendors who are looking at opening an establishment there.”
The proposed plans presented to the council showed the expansion of the Quigley’s building to cover the 21st Street basketball court. The style of the building would remain the same in the renovation, with the addition of more trees and planters along the inside perimeter of the sidewalk.
The design calls for 161 total seats in the restaurant, 32 of which would be part of an outdoor dining area that includes two-seat tables adjacent to the 21st Street sidewalk.
Originally, the blueprints showed nine additional outdoor tables. However, concerns about lack of green space prompted council members to stipulate the removal of 18 seats from the drawings. Council members were worried that the plan did not offer enough open space and greenery in the area.
Other concerns from the board included the absorption of open space and whether or not this would encourage GW to surpass their enrollment cap of 20,000 students.
The testy relationship between GW and the commission was evident at last night’s meeting, as commissioner warned university officials to be careful and abide by all the rules and agreements they have come to.
Dorothy Miller, a staunch opponent of GW and its expansion throughout the Foggy Bottom area, hinted that she will pose more objections to the university’s plan when it comes before the Public Space Committee in the next few weeks.
At that point, the proposal’s specifics will be scrutinized for details including the hours of operation, noise and sidewalk vending, all issues that Miller mentioned during yesterday’s meeting.
“I think that… feeding on the sidewalk is objectionable to the community and to any residence of the neighborhood,” she said of the outdoor parlor.
She also warned the university not to come back later and ask for additional space.
“[Don’t] come back and say, ‘Oh, we need to fit something [on] that side; we need to fit something over here; we need to fit something over there.’ No additional outside space,” she said.
“We’re not going to be using any additional space. We’ll only be using the space we currently have on site,” said Akin in response to Miller’s warning. “She’s ever watchful if we violate that, so we will absolutely not violate that.”
Community reaction was tentative, as usual. Though many at the meeting seemed incredulous toward GW’s constant expansion, they supported a community eating established reminiscent of the old days.
“I think it’s a good idea to open a restaurant,” said Robert Belsheim, as resident of the Potomac Plaza Apartment Complex.
He said that he had a friend who went to GW when Quigley’s soda shop was still open.
“She remembered it with a lot of good feeling. It seems to me that it would be nice to use it for something like this.”
Though concerned about open space, noise and sidewalk consumption, Belsheim said, “If they have a good plan, it’s a good idea.”
Details of the timeline from here were not clear last night. A hearing is scheduled in May in front of the zoning board, which is the only holdup before building begins.
Rutherford said that construction could begin as soon as early next year.
“Ideally, we’d like to have something up for fall 2006,” she said. “Everything would have to work out perfectly, though.”
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