Resources, Advocacy and News
To learn more about GCPS Advocacy and streatery programs from other cities in the USA and around the world, please read the following online resources.
Advocacy
GCPS Letter to Alan Brangman, Old Georgetown Board, March 6, 2024
Subject: We need genuine assurances that aesthetic issues are being improved upon and that appropriate funding has been secured to properly develop and consistently maintain the existing widened sidewalks and streateries. Further, we suggest the BID develop and release clear usage and aesthetic guidelines to all businesses currently using the streateries and/or benefitting from the widened sidewalks in front of their establishments so they may be held accountable if not in compliance. If businesses do not comply, and thus contributing to the degradation of Georgetown’s historic charm, the BID should enforce compliance and immediately resolve issues.
Summary: The pilot in Georgetown has gone on too long with zero requirements for the commercial district to live by the same rules as the residential district. Keeping our city streets clean and clear should be a top priority for any Mayor and city transportation agency. Residents and commuters deserve the streets around them to be clean, safe and secure. These temporary structures contribute to the degradation of our city collecting litter, deteriorating as the years go by and jersey barriers make Georgetown look like a war zone rather than a federal historic district. It’s clear that the Georgetown BID’s gorilla urbanism approach isn’t working. It’s time to reduce the pilot to a small contained area in Georgetown to allow the BID and DDOT to do the necessary due diligence to grow the pilot in a smart, measured way that showcases the pilot’s potential rather than this half hazard plan. The proverbial cart is before the horse in this case.
GCPS Letter to Alan Brangman, Old Georgetown Board, June 5, 2024
Subject: We are writing for the Coalition for Public Spaces (Coalition), which represents the views of thousands of Georgetown residents, 1343 to be exact, who signed our petition requesting improvements to Georgetown Business Improvement District’s (BID) Wider Sidewalk and Streatery Pilot Project. In March, we expressed our concern that Georgetown’s historic commercial streetscapes look haphazard, cluttered, and in poor taste and quality right now, and have since the project’s inception in 2021. We wrote, “While we appreciate that some issues involving the streateries and sidewalk extensions may take many years to resolve properly (e.g., traffic flows and congestion), the aesthetic problems should be fixable in a matter of weeks or a few months. And yet, inexplicably, we see the same issues month after month, year after year.”
Re: #2 Quarterly report - OGB 24-166 Georgetown Business Improvement District’s (BID) sidewalk extensions and outdoor dining in public space – progress report.
Subject: We write to express our continued concern with the Georgetown Business Improvement District’s (BID) Widened Sidewalk and Streatery Pilot Project. The project is doing worse, not better, in terms of maintenance and aesthetics. Please see the CPS instagram (@cpsgeorgetown) for recent photos showing the poor state of the sidewalks, planters and barriers.
Letter from Georgetown Small Businesses to DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum, October 31, 2024
Subject: Small business owners are the beating heart of Georgetown’s historic commercial district. It is precisely because of this commitment to, and investment in our Georgetown community, that we ask the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) to address the long-standing problems associated with the Georgetown Business Improvement District’s (GBID) Widened Sidewalk Extension and Streatery Pilot that we believe are greatly damaging the character and appearance of Georgetown. Signed by 26 Georgetown Small Business Owners.
Greggory Pemberton, Chairman, DC Police Union Letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser, February 10, 2025
Subject: As the Chairman of the DC Police Union, I am writing to express our strong opposition to the Georgetown Business Improvement District’s (BID) Widened Sidewalk and “Streatery” Pilot Project, which runs along M Street and Wisconsin Avenue in the heart of Georgetown’s commercial corridor. This temporary pandemic-era social distancing pilot has outlived its usefulness and has significant adverse effects on the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) ability to protect businesses and residents in Georgetown.
GCPS Letter to DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum, February 28, 2025
Subject: On January 20th, President Trump signed an executive order requiring federal workers to terminate remote work arrangements and return to work in-person on a full-time basis as soon as is practicable. As of March 10th, DC employees can work from home a maximum of one day per week,a reduction from the previous two days per week. Last week, Metro reported that ridership has been the system’s busiest since before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. The above policy changes are why we are very surprised to see the DC Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) Notice of Intent (NOI) #25-56-TPA which seeks to permanently remove rush-hour parking restrictions in Georgetown.
CAG Letter to DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum, March 27, 2025
Subject: RE: NOI #25-56-TPA Permanently Remove Rush Hour Parking Restrictions on M St & Wisconsin Ave NW. We strongly support the ANC 2E Resolution RE: Notice of Intent to Permanently Remove Rush Hour Parking Restrictions on M St and Wisconsin Ave NW (NOI #25-56-TPA). CAG urges DDOT to withdraw the subject NOI and resubmit a revised Notice that addresses our concerns. We ask that you provide clarity on precisely what the current public policy rationale is for removing the rush-hour lanes in (2) two of the (14) fourteen emergency evacuation routes and continuing to allow temporary structures in those lanes and how doing so prioritizes public safety - including during emergencies that may require rapid evacuation; addresses the impact on parking and congestion in residential neighborhoods with streets connecting to M Street and Wisconsin Avenue; and protects the integrity of Georgetown’s historic character.
GCPS Letter to Alan Brangman, Old Georgetown Board, April 3, 2025
Subject: Our members continue to be very concerned that Georgetown’s historic commercial streetscapes are looking worse than ever, rather than better as we have repeatedly been promised. In January, the Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID) began collecting fees from businesses exclusively to support this pilot project. We had hoped the fees would be used to improve the appearance of the widened sidewalks and streateries, but it appears as though they have not. A few questions we have for the BID…
Summary of GCPS mission.
News
Rush Hour Traffic Lanes Never to Come Back? By The Georgetowner, March 3, 2025
If you care about traffic in Georgetown, be aware that the DDOT plans to permanently remove all rush-hour lanes in the neighborhood, a key commuter route for Maryland and Virginia residents. We urge you to help spread the word, sign the petition with GCPS.
The Future of Georgetown’s Streateries, November 13, 2024
New proposals refuel neighborhood debate over sidewalk extensions. By Paulina Inglima, Georgetowner.
Georgetown is fighting over its streateries, Axios D.C., July 25, 2024
You know how Georgetown seems hip again? There are lines outside Kim Kardashian's Skims, a scene-y vibe at the Levantine bakery Yellow, and even a pipeline of new home construction.
There's just one problem.
What I'm hearing: In one of America's most iconic neighborhoods, there's a fuss over restaurant streateries and their shabby twin, the extended sidewalk.
Opinion: What Happened to Historic, Safe, and Clean Georgetown? By Jack Evans, February 12, 2024
Summary: So it is with great distress that I write to point out that our historic commercial streetscapes look terrible right now.
Georgetown’s React to Streateries Petition. By the Georgetowner, October 10, 2023
“Where DDOT you stand on streateries?” In response, we hard from many residents and organizations sharing their views on Georgetown’s streateries program. Here’s a sampling of letters and comments we received. More reactions can be seen in the comments online below the article.
Georgetown Coalition for Public Spaces Petitions to Improve Streateries
A petition calling for “common-sense re-adjustments” to Georgetown’s streateries programs, launched by the GCPS calls attention to the many issues with upkeep and maintenance of streateries. September 18, 2023, Georgetowner.
Re-Invisioning Outdoor Dining in Georgetown
September 21, 2023, The Georgetown Dish
New York City Will Make Outdoor Dining Permanent, With Caveats
New rules passed by the city council on Thursday will organize the haphazard but popular outdoor dining structures, but will force their removal in winter.
The Georgetown, October 13, 2021 Issue
ANC Commissioners requesting removal of decking. Pages 8-9
France bans heated terraces cutting emissions equivalent to 300,000 cars every year
In a bid to limit carbon emissions, it is now illegal in France for cafes, restaurants, bars and other establishments to operate heated terraces.
New Jersey: Rats and Streateries
Excerpt:
Outdoor Dining Law Changes
With the growing rat crisis, there have been concerns about outdoor dining areas, particularly parklets and streateries, being a primary food source for rats. However, instead of closing these areas, the city council is focusing on ensuring that they are clean and free from rats.
The proposed legislation, set to be voted on in the next City Council meeting, clarifies that owners of outdoor dining areas are responsible for cleaning and pest control. The legislation provides guidelines for property owners, including daily inspections, regular power washing, and scheduled extermination services.
City of Bellingham, WA Streatery Program Assessment
Excerpt from the assessment:
Page 7:
“If restaurants want to expand seating, they should have to pay to do so at their own expense (commensurate with the vast increase in sales from all the additional seats), not at taxpayer expense.”
- Bellingham Survey Respondent
…streateries represent the potential loss of revenue of $18 per parking stall per day, which is highly variable based on the location, hours and frequency of use of each stall. For example, if the 49 parking spaces were utilized 85% of the time during paid parking hours (which is a very high utilization estimate), each stall would generate approximately $4,775 annually, for a total annual revenue of $233,906 into the parking services fund.
Pages 3 - 4:
The number one concern expressed in the survey was the design and feel of streateries, with an emphasis on improving the quality of building materials and providing cohesiveness of the structure with the character of downtown. This issue, particularly the structural integrity, material, and safety aspects, was listed as a primary concern in over 100 of the written survey responses.
Other common recommendations from the surveyed population were to:
Add design standards (e.g. not allow at grade with drive lanes, consideration for blocking historic buildings, no plastic, no construction barriers).
Either remove them altogether OR add more (or additional consideration of appropriate locations).
Support more pedestrian streets, lane or block closures or public spaces in general (with some concerns expressed about the use of drive lanes for this purpose).
Charge fees for fairness and to replace lost parking revenue.
Consider loading areas/impact on vehicle and bike parking.
Increase visibility for vehicles and better site lines for pedestrians.
Standardize traffic barriers.
Integrate them into the streetscape for more permanence and cohesion.
Require cleaning and maintenance.
Other top concerns were displacement of parking, safety while dining, sidewalk congestion for pedestrians, and accessibility/compliance with ADA requirements. Over 50 comments focused on restricting streateries to warmer seasons or providing more heating and protection from the elements for winter comfort.