By Riddhi Setty
WASHINGTON – The discussion became heated at a local Advisory Neighborhood Commission on Oct.10, when a Surfside representative presented the restaurant’s application for a valet parking permit.
The calm and orderly proceedings of ANC 3E were interrupted by the final topic on the agenda, which caused an argument between the chairperson of the commission and Surfside representative, Bo Blair.
Blair proposed an application for a valet parking permit for the new Surfside restaurant at 4200 Wisconsin Ave., saying it would be easier for people to park and would take cars off of the street. The panel of commissioners at the meeting asked Blair a series of questions about the details of the valet parking, including how much Surfside would charge and where the cars would be parked.
A member of the commission, Amy Hall, was in favor of the permit, saying that she believes it will prevent more people from making illegal U-turns to avoid driving up the corner, and will encourage people to eat at the restaurant.
As the conversation continued, commissioners discussed the impact a permit would have on traffic in the area.
Tom Quinn, the treasurer of the commission said that the reason he initially joined the ANC was because of a valet parking issue with Maggiano’s Little Italy. He said, “Even if one of these valet guys is a minute behind, it’s not hard for Wisconsin Avenue to be completely blocked off, so I’m struggling on whether I should support this. In general, I think valet is a good idea.”
Tensions rose as Chairperson Jonathan Bender and Blair got into an argument about the permit, as well as issues between Blair and Bender regarding previous interactions.
Bender accused Blair of being untrustworthy and “consistently arrogant.” He countered Blair’s argument saying “ ‘Trust me, I don’t like traffic’ is not good enough for me.” Bender said, “What gets me is that its right around the corner. Things are going to end up either in the bus lane or in the traffic lane.”
After a lengthy discussion, with Quinn and Hall making arguments in favor of valet parking, commissioners granted the permit. They did so under the condition that Blair and the restaurant would commit to only signing for deliveries that were delivered to Surfside’s loading dock at the back of the restaurant during rush hours.
Blair said, “I really honestly thought it would be incredibly supported and I didn’t even expect any debate. In my view, it’s taking tons of cars off the street and you would think that the ANC would want to support that.”
Bender, who joined the commission to make a difference for the neighborhood said, “Typically meetings are a little more restrained.” He added, “We do have people who make their points with vigor.”
The commission also discussed the monthly police report, as well as a grant application and an upcoming construction plan. After some conversation, they decided not to approve an application put forth to designate Chevy Chase playground and field house as historical landmarks.
Jonathan Bender, chairman of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3E. Photo taken after the ANC 3E meeting held on Oct. 10. This event took place at the Washington College of Law.