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Committee advances ABCA-related streetery amendment, flags DDOT rule concerns
Summary
The committee moved a draft report on Bill 26-147 to codify streetery endorsements under the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board, add a 45-day public comment and protest period, and expand carryout/delivery license rules; Councilmember Allen and others warned that separate DDOT rulemaking could be onerous and may require further legislative action.
The Committee on Business and Economic Development moved a draft committee report covering Bill 26-147, the Street Reprogram Endorsements and Protest Process Amendment Act of 2025, which would prohibit, as of Jan. 1, 2026, establishments from permitting patrons to consume beer, wine, or spirits on a streetery unless the establishment has an appropriate endorsement or license from the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board (ABCA) and has applied for a streetery, summer garden, or sidewalk-café endorsement.
Chair Kenyon McDuffie outlined additional changes in the committee print that would require notice and a 45-day public comment period and an opportunity for protest, and would expand carryout and delivery license requirements for retailers with commercial street frontage at locations under Washington Convention and Sports Authority jurisdiction. McDuffie described most committee edits as clarifying and intended to streamline the introduced bill.
Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen said he welcomed codifying the ABCA piece but cautioned that the District Department of Transportation's (DDOT) separate proposed rulemaking for the permanent streetery program was "so onerous that it actually will end much of our streetery program." He said he has worked with DDOT and stakeholders and that, if regulatory changes do not address the problems, the council may need to act legislatively. Councilmember Brooke Pinto emphasized that the ABCA vote is distinct from DDOT rulemaking and said it should be straightforward to remove streeteries that are not working in a neighborhood. Chair McDuffie moved the draft report "in print with leave for staff to make technical, editorial and conforming changes"; members voiced "aye" and the chair declared the measure approved by the committee.
