Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D

PO Box 71156    Washington, DC  20024-9998

ANC Office: 202 554-1795 n FAX: 202 554-1774

office@anc6d.org

VOLUNTARY AGREEMENT

                                                                                            

THIS VOLUNTARY AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is made on this 25th day of February 2010 by and between Capital Yacht Charters, LLC,  t/a Capital Yacht Charters (“Applicant”), and Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D (“Protestant”), (collectively, the “Parties”).

 

W I T N E S S E T H

WHEREAS, Applicant has applied for a License Class CX with Entertainment Endorsement for four (4) marine vessels operating under the Capital Yacht Charters, LLC   (“Establishment”) located at Washington Marina, 1300 Maine Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20024 (“Premises”).  The four marine vessels are:  Celebrity, capacity of 120 passengers; Harbor Belle, capacity of 80 passengers; Finished Business, capacity of 55 passengers; and Harbouritaville, capacity of 20 passengers.  These four marine vessels and the dockside waiting area will be included in this license. 

WHEREAS, the Parties have agreed to enter into this Agreement and request that the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (“ABC Board”) approve the Applicant’s license application conditioned upon the Applicant’s compliance with the terms of this written Agreement; and

WHEREAS, the Parties are desirous of entering into a Voluntary Agreement pursuant to D.C. Official Code § 25-446 for the operation and maintenance of the Establishment in such a manner as to minimize the effect on (i) the peace, order and quiet of the neighborhood and (ii) pedestrian safety and vehicular traffic, and to eliminate the need for a Protest Hearing regarding the  license application.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the recitals set forth above and the mutual covenants and conditions set forth below, the Parties agree as follows:

1.         Recitals Incorporated. The recitals set forth above are incorporated herein by reference.

2.         Nature of the Business.   The Applicant manages and operates four marine vessels which offer approximately 130 chartered trips annually for private parties.  The usual duration of each trip is four (4) hours.  Food is available throughout the trip; alcohol service is provided immediately after leaving the dock and up to 15 minutes prior to returning to dock.  The applicant allows or provides entertainment, including DJs on the closed main decks. Gambling is not allowed but game nights with no monetary prizes are allowed.  Patrons are prohibited from any post-cruise activity on the docks and parking area.  Any change from this model shall be considered by both Parties to be a substantial change in operation of great concern to the ANC and neighborhood and requires prior approval by the ANC and the ABC Board.     

3.         Hours of Operation and Sales. 

            The Applicant’s hours of operation and sales/service of alcoholic beverages shall be as       follows:

            Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.;            Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.

            The applicant’s hours of entertainment shall be as follows:

            Sunday through Saturday, 6:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

 

4.         Floors Utilized  and Occupancy.   The Applicant manages and operates four marine vessels: Celebrity, Finished Business, and Harbor Belle on two floor(s)/decks; the marine vessel Harbouritaville has only one floor/deck.   In the four marine vessels the total occupancy will not exceed 275 persons, with fifty percent (50 %) being seats, and the remaining 50% being standing patrons.

5.         Parking/Valet  Arrangements.  It is a concern of the Protestants that the Applicant’s operation of the Establishment does not create or exacerbate parking problems within the ANC boundaries. A parking lot with 80 parking spaces is made available for patrons for a fee.  There is limited street parking.  There is no valet parking arrangement. Establishment is within a 5 block walk of two subway stops, and is within a 4 block walk of a regular bus line.  Taxis are plentiful across the street at the Mandarin Hotel connected to the marina by a foot bridge across Maine Avenue.

6..        Sidewalk Café.  There is no sidewalk café; no food or alcohol service is available  in the pre-boarding or waiting area.

7.         Noise and Privacy.  Applicant will strictly comply with D.C. Official Code § 25-725 and to that end shall take all necessary actions to ensure that music, noise and vibration from the Establishment are not audible within any of the properties or areas that the cruises pass by.  Sound on  vessels shall be reduced when exiting and entering the Washington Channel and shut off within 15 minutes of landing. Only the Harbour Belle has outside speakers which will be turned off while in the Washington Channel. Applicant will take reasonable steps to reduce noise emanating from the Establishment from the opening of any doors during the cruises.

8.         Public Space and Trash.  Applicant shall keep the areas surrounding the docks of the four marine vessels clean and free of litter, bottles, and other debris in compliance with D.C. Code and Municipal Regulations.  Applicant shall monitor these areas sufficiently to assure that refuse and other materials are promptly removed.  The Applicant uses three dumpsters and three recycling bins provided for all tenants by the Washington Marina. Applicant shall ensure that the area around the dumpster is kept clean at all times and the dumpster is placed such that it does not encroach on any abutting property owners and so that no garbage is placed on any abutting property.

9.         Rats and Vermin Control.  The marina provides a professional company for rat and vermin control.  The Applicant shall provide any additional rat and vermin control for the dock area surrounding its four marine vessels as may be required.  Applicant shall provide proof of the rat and vermin control contract upon the request of the Protestants.  Applicant shall have the Establishment and the area around the Premises properly cleaned at the end of each night to ensure that there are not garbage and odors present the following morning.

10.       Security Cooperation in Stemming Illegal Drugs and Public Drinking.  Protestants are concerned that the nature of the business of the Applicant will not pose security and crime issues.  Applicant agrees that it shall take all necessary steps to minimize such problems, including, without limitation, designating a sufficient number of employees to assure adequate security and to control unruly patrons, whether inside or in the immediate outside area; monitoring for and prohibiting sales or use of illegal drugs within or about the Premises, maintaining contact and cooperating with the Harbor Patrol and /or Metropolitan Police Department  and other enforcement officials when known or suspected drug activities occur.  As considered necessary, Applicant shall contract for or provide for off-duty emergency medical technicians or other trained service personnel to accompany the cruise.

            Applicant shall: (a)  require appropriate identification of patrons appearing to be under 30 years of age; (b) shall examine or scan the identification to assure validity; and (c) shall provide each patron who has been screened for permission to drink alcohol with a wrist band or visible marking so bartenders can identify those patrons.  The Applicant will not knowingly sell alcoholic drinks or allow alcoholic drinks to be provided to a person who appears to be intoxicated.  Applicant will take all reasonable precautions to avoid the sales or provision of alcoholic beverages in any form to anyone accompanying a person who has been denied service or who has not been screened and approved for service of alcoholic beverages.

             Applicant shall maintain a log on each marine vessel to record any security incidents and include in the log: the nature of the incident, who was involved, and how it was resolved (e.g., cruise terminated, MPD/Harbor Patrol contacted).  These logs shall be made available to the ANC on request.  Applicant shall to the full extent permissible by law discourage loitering in the vicinity of the marine vessels and dock. While the Protestants do not at this time envision any requirement for security officers at the time of the cruises, as indicated above, the Applicant shall ensure that there is no post-cruise activity continuing on the dock and any persons who are congregating in that manner shall be asked to move along.  At the present time, the Protestants do not envision the need for electronic devices to search for weapons, pat-downs of patrons when coming on board, or cameras or devices to record and store information about activities on the exterior of the marine vessels.  Should circumstances appear to warrant increased security and scrutiny, the Protestants reserve the right to amend this VA to provide such coverage.

            Applicant shall post signs at the exits of each of the marine vessels to inform patrons that no          alcoholic beverages can be removed from the premises.  Applicant shall ensure that no           containers, cups, bottles/cans, etc. regardless of content, shall be permitted to exit any of the     marine vessels with a patron, and shall ensure that no alcoholic beverages are carried out of             any of the marine vessels so that they can be consumed on public space or in a vehicle.

 

11.       License Ownership and Compliance with ABRA Regulations.  Applicant promises to Protestants that it shall abide by all Alcoholic Beverage Regulations Administration (ABRA) regulations regarding the ownership of the license and all other provisions     applicable to liquor licensees, and agrees that Protestants shall have standing to ask the ABC Board to enforce any violations of the agreement. Applicant also specifically agrees to be the sole owner of the ABC license.

12.       Participation in the Community.  Applicant agrees to seek to maintain open communication with the Protestants, and the community for which the ANC acts.  To this end, Applicant shall, at least quarterly, be represented at ABC Committee meetings and ANC6D public meetings.  The ANC6D public meetings currently occur on the second Monday of each month except for August when there is no meeting, and October, when the meeting is on the third Monday.  These ANC6D meetings currently convene at 7:00 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, 6th and M Streets, S. W., Washington, D.C. 20024.  Applicant, upon notice from the ANC shall send a representative of the Establishment to a meeting(s) to confer and deal in good faith with issues raised under this Agreement.  Applicant shall participate in neighborhood and community activities and shall be supportive of  festivals, student activities, and waterfront activities.

13        Notice and Opportunity to Cure.  In the event that any of the parties is in breach of this Agreement, it shall be entitled to reasonable notice and opportunity to cure, as a condition precedent to seeking enforcement of the Agreement. Unless the breach is of an emergency nature or is a repetition of a prior breach, reasonable notice and opportunity shall provide for a cure within 30 days of the date of such notice.  If Applicant or the licensee fails to cure within the 30-day period (or, with respect to a breach which reasonably requires more than 30-days to cure, fails to commence cure of such breach and diligently pursues such cure) failure shall constitute a cause for seeking a Show Cause Order from the ABC Board pursuant to D.C. Official Code § 25-447.  Unless otherwise noted above, any notices required to be made under this Agreement shall be in writing and mailed via certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, or hand-delivered, to the other parties to this Agreement at the following addresses.  Notice shall be deemed given as of the time of receipt or refusal of receipt:

 

 

 

If to Applicant:           Capital Yacht Charters, LLC t/a Capital Yacht Charters

PO Box 70576, 1300 Maine Ave., SW

                                    Washington, DC, 20024        

                                                Attn:  Eric Slaughter, Managing Member

                                                (202)554-0677 or cell (202) 689-5707  

                                                FAX:  (202)554-0699

                                                www.capitalyacht.com

 

 

If to Protestants:         Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D

                                    P. O. Box 71156

Washington, DC  20024-9998

Attn: Chair, ANC

                                                (202) 202 554-1795

                                                Fax (202) 202 554-1774

           

Failure to give notice shall not constitute waiver or acquiescence to the violation, but notice shall be a prerequisite to the filing of a complaint with the ABC Board or any other enforcement action.  

14.       Protest.  Upon execution of this Agreement by the Parties and its acceptance by the ABC Board, ANC6D shall not protest the application.

PROTESTANT:

 

Chair, ABC Committee, ANC6D

 

_________________________   ___________

Coralie Farlee                                 Date

 

ANC Commissioner

 

_________________________   __________

Jane Jorgensen, ANC6D01            Date

 

Chair, ANC6D

 

_________________________  ___________

Ron McBee                                    Date

Capital Yacht Charters, LLC

 

 

______________________      ____________

 Eric Slaughter, Managing           Date

          Member