Update on Conservative Partnership’s Proposed Alley Closing in 200 Block PA Ave SE

The shaded dog leg on the right is the dead-end alley the Conservative Partnership Institute proposes to privatize.

Thursday night’s meeting of the ANC6B Planning and Zoning Committee

Update on Conservative Partnership’s Proposed Alley Closing in 200 Block PA Ave SE

by Larry Janezich

Posted September 8, 2023

At Thursday night’s ANC6B Planning and Zoning Committee, Commissioner David Sobelsohn updated on the status of the Subcommittee on Alley and Street Closings’ consideration of the Conservative Partnership Institute’s application to close a portion of the alley behind the former Capitol Lounge. 

The Conservative Partnership wants to close the alley behind the legendary bar to create what will likely become event space for the organization’s new headquarters comprised of several buildings in the 200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.  The Partnership is led by former South Carolina Senator Jim Demint, Chairman; and former White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, Senior Partner.

Commissioner David Sobelsohn reported that on August 24^th, members of the Subcommittee toured the alley with representatives of the applicant. Here are the main takeaways from that tour and the subsequent discussion at the subcommittee meeting:

• The applicant owns all of the buildings (with exception of a building owned by the Heritage Foundation) bordering the proposed courtyard which the closing would enable. 
• The applicants eventually hope to reopen a restaurant in the former Capitol Lounge space.
• The applicants have submitted a legal memo to the Subcommittee in support of their right to close the alley.
• What’s at stake is not who owns the land (the Partnership) but an easement held by the city for public access to the space. 
• Determining if any of the nearby residents use the alley or the area around it is a priority for the Subcommittee, since that would be a primary reason to object to the alley’s closure.  So far, the Subcommittee has not found any resident who uses the relevant portion of the alley. 
• The Mayor can send a bill to close the alley to the city council, but it must be passed by the council, signed by the Mayor and reviewed by Congress.
• The City Council is likely to defer to the wishes of Ward 6 CM Charles Allen regarding council consideration of the matter.
• The City Council is unlikely to accelerate consideration of legislation related to the application, meaning that legislation is unlikely to pass before December 2024, after which Congress would have to review it.

The Subcommittee discussed both their available options and pursuing community benefits in exchange for the loss of public space.  The consensus was that seeking community benefits would necessarily be coupled with the ANC’s support for the application and would be realized only if the city council approves the alley closure, that CM Charles Allen’s support for the closure was essential but that support – according to Commissioner Chander Jayaraman – seems to be conditioned on the support of ANC6B. 

The Subcommittee will meet on Wednesday, September 19th at 5:45pm in SE Library to discuss a possible list of community benefits.  The current thinking of Subcommittee members seems to be that an appropriate community benefit would be a cash contribution to a community non-profit.  Sobelsohn acknowledged that this could be a “tricky situation,” citing the reaction of the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, who – despite their need for money to make the building ADA compliant – decided they would rather not accept a benefit from the Conservative Partnership Institute.