Category: Metro and Neighborhood

After battling a long court case and continuing to operate illegally for 19 days, Philly Pizza and Grill closed its doors permanently on March 9.

As many same-sex couples prepared to line up at D.C. Superior Court, Georgetown students like J.C. Hodges (SFS ’11) were fresh off of a late-night baking spree to commemorate the first day of same-sex marriage licensing in the District.

Philly Pizza & Grill will appear in D.C. Superior Court Friday for a hearing that will likely result in the establishment’s closure the same day, marking the final straw in the owner’s struggle to stay open despite a Feb. 19 order enforcing the removal of its certificate of occupancy, according to Vice Chairman of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission-2E Bill Starrels.

Philly Pizza & Grill continues to operate and now faces legal action after being issued a “notice to discontinue illegal use of premises” late Friday afternoon, an order that enforces the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs’ revocation of the restaurant’s certificate of occupancy.

Pending a published final order from the D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment, Philly Pizza & Grill will be forced to shut its doors, saying goodbye to a loyal student clientele.

The D.C. Council recently approved the addition of a Circulator route that will run between the Dupont Circle and Rosslyn Metro stops starting in fall 2010, replacing the Blue Bus, or Metro Connection bus, that runs on that loop.

Georgetown students currently live in the bluest place in the United States. A recent Gallup poll ranked the District of Columbia as the most Democratic-leaning compared to other U.S. states in 2009. Reporting a 66 percent Democratic advantage over Republicans, the District is 34 percentage points ahead of its nearest competitor Rhode Island.

On Feb.1, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E unanimously passed a resolution that recommends the renewal of the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Board’s moratorium for Georgetown, yet increased the maximum number of liquor licenses permitted in the area by two.

On Feb. 4, the first panda cub born at the National Zoo to survive, Tai Shan, will set off for his new home at the China Conservation and Research Center’s Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan, China.

Loud students have been a perennial complaint among neighborhood residents and are one of the leading sources of strain between Georgetown University and the surrounding community.