Council aims to widen sales ban of single containers of beer in D.C.

Legislation prohibiting the sale of single containers of beer, ale or malt liquor in less than 70-ounce bottles was introduced Tuesday by Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans and Ward 6 Councilman Tommy Wells. District leaders have moved to limit the sales across a large swath of the city, saying the containers contribute to littering, loitering, disorderly conduct and crime.

Evans’ measure would affect only Shaw, a slice of Penn Quarter, Thomas Circle and Logan Circle — the boundaries of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions 2A and 2F — while Wells’ bill would touch all of Ward 6. Both are likely to pass.

“I think it’s very clear that in the eastern end of Ward 2, we do see the nexus between single sales and disorderly conduct, crime and trash,” said Alex Padro, Shaw advisory neighborhood commissioner.

Both measures include the possibility of exemptions for stores that reach so-called “voluntary agreements” with the local ANCs. The Logan Circle Whole Foods, for example, has an agreement in place today that allows for the sale of single beers 16 ounces or larger.

Andrew Kline, attorney to many liquor licensees, said there’s no way to challenge the bans unless the council makes a procedural error. Whether the prohibition makes sense is another matter, he said: What’s the point of telling a person with a drinking problem to buy six beers instead of one?

“The logic is lost on me,” Kline said.

The council recently moved to ban single sales in Wards, 4, 7 and 8. Earlier bans encompassed the H Street corridor and Mount Pleasant. The proposals are likely to end there, however, as Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas sees an all-out prohibition as a “shotgun approach,” Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham backs targeted moratoriums and Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh isn’t aware of a problem among her constituency.

mneibauer@dcexaminer.com