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The Cleveland Park/Woodley Park Advisory Neighborhood Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to oppose steakhouse Medium Rare‘s application to operate valet parking at its Connecticut Avenue restaurant.
The commissioners also voted to support Noodles & Company’s zoning exception to open a restaurant in Woodley Park.
The valet resolution said the commissioners “strongly oppose” the application, citing among its reasons the loss of parking space for the staging area and the route drivers would use to park the cars, which would go through a residential neighborhood.
It also speculated that valets would not follow regulations and the plan in the restaurant’s application. U Street Parking Co., the parking management company that would run the valet operation, has only arranged to rent two parking spaces in which to park cars.
It is now up to the District Department of Transportation to decide whether to approve the plan, taking the ANC’s resolution into consideration.
U Street Parking would block off two parking spaces on Connecticut Avenue for a staging area under the plan. Valets would drive cars via Ordway Street, 30th Street, Porter Street and Connecticut Avenue to the two parking spots at Sam’s Park & Shop.
Residents spoke Tuesday in opposition to the valet plan. Mark Rosenman said the application “borders on the absurd. I’d say [it's] offensive.”
Representatives of Medium Rare and U Street Parking did not attend the meeting. Commissioner Leila Afzal contacted Medium Rare owner Mark Bucher and a representative of U Street Parking concerning the meeting, she said.
The commission also voted unanimously to support Noodles & Company in its attempt to attain an exception to zoning regulations that prohibit fast food restaurants in Woodley Park. The support is conditioned on Noodles’ landlord installing a trash compactor behind the building and the restaurant serving food only with non-disposable dishware, except for takeout.
The city’s Board of Zoning Adjustment will consider Noodles’ application next week.
