Former J.P.'s Night Club Shows Signs of Life

Those who don't count themselves among the Good Guys may once again have access to an old stand-by in in the lap of Glover Park. Though J.P.'s Night Club hasn't seen any action, lascivious or otherwise, since January 2008, when firefighters scaled a burning building to rescue a (fully clad) employee from the roof, the former location of the 20-plus year-old night club is showing signs of life.

This past fall, the former owners of J.P's Night Club applied to have their liquor license taken out of safekeeping with the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Commission (ABRA). The holdup? Protests, of course, with no sign of a quick resolution, said ABRA. Despite the fact that J.P's was a nice family-owned business, some neighbors never embraced it, and ABRA held a hearing last week to undress complaints from the community. ABRA confirms that the license renewal application is for the same address and that the owners of the license have not applied for a transfer of the application. This could mean a go-ahead for the club, or it could suggest that the owners of the building, local entrepreneurs Alafoginis Family LP will simply retain the bare license once renewal is approved. DCMud contacted Deoudes-Magafan Realty, who punted to owner Barbara Alafoginis who has not responded to inquiries.

In the meantime, construction continues, which began in May of 2009, with the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs having renewed the building's construction permit in September of 2010. The Construction Guild LLC has been the contractor for the site.

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DCRA to Open Small Business Resource Office by Spring

The Washington DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) is taking a stab at making government more efficient. If you're following the agency's Twitter feed, the goal is apparently to save time and garner good will by expediting permit requests.

The agency has already established a Homeowner's Center, dedicated to helping expedite permitting for home repair and renovations. And now they're setting up a Small Business Resource Center, scheduled to open at 1100 4th Street SW in the spring.

Will it help? "Your homeowner building permit office is great!" tweeted Margaret Holwill, head of PR for the H Street NE Festival and owner of Holwill & Company media. "Could you do a one-stop shop for small biz?"

Helping people navigate purgatory is not in character for a government agency, but that's the intention. "We are envisioning laying out the steps and serving as a point of contact for updates on progress for the many agencies involved in the permitting process," said Helder Gil, spokesperson for DCRA.

DCRA hopes the new office will cut permit wait time in half by acting as a liaison between business owners and many government agencies. Small businesses that might benefit from the center include new retail, restaurants and non-profits in particular.

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