January 27, 2020

Updates from Adams Morgan

Click Here to see previous updates in our newsletter archive

For the latest from the DC government, refer to: https://coronavirus.dc.gov

Save the Date

AMPBID Annual Meeting: Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District’s Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 9, 2021 at 5pm. The meeting will be held online via Zoom. Postcards were mailed to all commercial property and business owners earlier this month.

IMPORTANT: To attend the annual meeting as a voting member (all commercial property and business owners within the AMPBID boundaries are automatically members) you must send us your email address via this form . Links to participate in the Zoom meeting and further details (including voting procedures) will be sent via email.

In addition to other business, we will hold elections for six positions on the Board of Directors (4 property owners and 2 business owners whose terms expire in March) at the meeting.

Nominations (per the process in our bylaws) will be accepted until January 29th. Nominating petitions for board members must be submitted to Kristen Barden, Executive Director, at least 40 days prior to the date of the meeting (January 29, 2021). Petitions must have the signatures of at least 10 AMPBID members. The AMPBID’s nominating committee will also nominate candidates.

Please fill out the above form by February 15, 2021 so we can send your ballot. If you have questions, please call Brian at 202.536.9515 or email at bbarrie@admodc.org.

There also will be a special meeting of the AMPBID Board of Directors on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 to vote on a new Five-Year plan.

All business improvement districts (BIDs) in the District of Columbia must be renewed every five years. The process for renewal is laid out in the law that establishes business improvement districts (DC ST § 2-1215.18). Before re-registering, the BID should develop a business plan for the next five years that includes a proposed budget. The board should approve the new business plan by a 2/3 vote at a meeting called for that purpose.

Also at the February board meeting, the nominating committee will provide a written list of the candidates for board membership to be voted on at the annual meeting on March 9, 2021.

Mayor Bowser Introduces the Washington DC Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Amendment Act of 2021

Yesterday, Mayor Muriel Bowser released the following statement on the Reopen Washington, DC Alcohol Act, which was filed with the Council of the District of Columbia. The legislation proposes several innovative approaches to help rebuild the District’s economy by providing businesses and patrons with expanded opportunities; bringing essential services, including new full-service grocery stores, to Wards 7 and 8; and maintaining the city’s reputation as a top destination to live, work, and dine out.

“I have charged my Administration with developing bold, innovative solutions to ensure our businesses and the workers they employ can thrive beyond this pandemic. As we continue to focus on boosting the District’s economy, this legislation will move us in the right direction by removing hurdles for businesses and providing new ways to bring in revenue. Since the public health emergency began last March, the District has led the nation in pivoting to support restaurants and food service establishments through various funding opportunities, including the $100 million Bridge Fund, the $33 million DC Small Business Microgrant Program, the Ward 7 and 8 Microgrant Program, the Small Business Resiliency Fund, and the Streatery Winter Ready Grant Program. As we move toward a new normal, we will continue creating more innovative programs that help local businesses make it to the other side of this pandemic.”

Proposed provisions in the Reopen Washington, DC Alcohol Act include :

Extending programs introduced on an emergency basis, including Streateries
Establishing a Commercial Lifestyle License that allows patrons to walk around and consume alcohol purchased from on-premises establishments within predefined boundaries
Creating a new 25 percent full-service grocery store Class A License to help attract new full service grocery stores to Wards 7 and 8; applicants interested in using this license to open a Class A grocery store in Wards 1-6 must first operate such a store in Wards 7 and 8 for at least six months
Amending several licensing operational requirements

Washington City Paper has coverage here which includes quotes from Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio.

Important Information About Changes To Your Commercial Property Tax Billing/Payments

Real property tax is live at MyTax.DC.gov

• The site allows users to manage all accounts online for real property, individual income, and business taxes.

What does this new system mean for you?

• DC businesses can track and pay taxes and, in many cases, eliminate the need for paper filing. The site gives users the option to pay property tax bills, manage accounts, and access customer service while safeguarding against fraud.

How will this affect your BID tax payment?

• You will receive One Unified Bill for all your Real Property Tax, Penalties, Fees and BID Tax.

• All payments will go to satisfy Real Property Tax, Penalties, and Fees before your BID Tax is paid.

• Only Property Owners will be able to request address or contact information changes.

What you should be doing.

• Register an account at https://MyTax.DC.gov/ .

• Verify your address and contact information.

• Contact your Mortgage Lender and Title company of the new system.

• If you advance paid your second half FY2021 BID taxes, please contact your BID representative.

How to register with MyTax.DC.gov.

• If you do not have an account setup with MyTax DC, please click here .

You will need:

The "Notice Number" listed on a letter received from the Office of Tax and Revenue.
The most recent return or payment information, depending on the tax account type.

Important Reminders

• Wells Fargo no longer accepts real property tax payments.

• Please make payments at MyTax.DC.gov or mail via US Postal Service to the following address:

Government of the District of Columbia

Office of Tax and Revenue

Real Property Tax Administration

PO Box 98095

Washington, DC 20090-8095

• Additional questions may be routed to the OTR Customer Service Center at (202) 727- 4TAX (4829).

For assistance with http://MyTax.DC.gov/ and/or account-related questions, please contact our e-Services Unit at (202) 759-1946 or email e-services.otr@dc.gov , 8:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Survey: Outdoor Dining and Retail during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Survey

The Office of Planning (OP) invites the public to complete this survey, which is designed to assess the experience of patrons of outdoor dining and retail establishments in Washington DC during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The District is assessing the outdoor dining and retail pickup program to determine how to potentially continue the implementation of some version of the program once the public health emergency ends. The information you provide in the survey will inform that assessment.

This brief survey should take you 5-7 minutes to complete, and will be available until February 14, 2021.

Valentine's Day Window Contest:

$500 for the winning business!

This year we are bringing back the Valentine's Day retail window decorating contest. All Adams Morgan businesses with sidewalk-facing windows in the business district are eligible to participate.

Businesses are encouraged to begin decorating their windows as soon as possible. Judging will take place on or around February 12. Winners will be announced on Valentines Day (February 14).

Judging will be based on originality, use of space, overall creativity, and other factors as determined by the judges.

Judging will be conducted by a panel consisting of residents and/or elected officials. None of the judges will have any direct affiliation with participating businesses or be members of the Adams Morgan Partnership BID. The community will also be able to vote on their favorites through an online poll on our website.

Prizes: 1st Place $500; 2nd Place $300; 3rd Place: $200

To participate in the contest, businesses must sign up using this form . If you don't sign up you will not be eligible to win prizes. A list of all participating businesses will be published on our website.

Last year's winners were:

1st Place: CenterPointe , 1802 Adams Mill Rd NW, B
2nd Place: Mintwood Place , 1813 Columbia Rd NW
3rd Place: Duplex Diner , 2004 18th St NW

DCArts Teletownhall

Thursday, January 28, 2021; 4:30 pm ET via Webex

Learn about CAH's upcoming grant opportunities for individuals and organizations, plus new programs and initiatives from the agency.

This online event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required.

Click here to register.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Portal is Open to all Participating PPP Lenders

Friendly reminder! The SBA has re-opened the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan portal to all participating PPP lenders. PPP provides loans to help businesses keep their workforce employed during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. SBA is currently offering:

First Draw PPP loans- for those borrowers who have not received a PPP loan before August 8, 2020.
Second Draw PPP loans- for eligible small businesses with 300 employees or less and that previously received a First Draw PPP loan. These borrowers will have to use or had used the full amount of their First Draw loan only for authorized uses and demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020. The maximum amount of a Second Draw PPP loan is $2 million.

The Paycheck Protection Program remains open for First and Second Draw PPP loans until March 31, 2021, as set forth in the Economic Aid Act, or until Congressionally-appropriated funding is exhausted.

Learn more

Two Small Business Webinars This Week

Financial Basics for New Small Businesses

Thursday, January 28, 12:00PM

Register Here

Promoting Your Business

Friday, January 29, 12:00PM

Register Here

Robust Retail Grant Applications Deadline is Tomorrow

DSLBD has opened applications for their 2021 Robust Retail Grant . The deadline to apply is January 28, 2021 at 2 pm . The purpose of the grant is to support existing DC-based retail businesses maintaining operations and viability during the current small business crisis.

How will grants be awarded, and for how much?

DSLBD intends to award up to $7,500 per business to 106 businesses from the total $800,000 in available funding for Fiscal Year 2021. This grant will be operated as a reimbursement grant, awarded via lottery, to DC retail businesses that have met all eligibility requirements by the final deadline.

Washington Business Journal Small Business Recovery Series: Finance

The 2021 Small Business Recovery series kicks off with a focus on venture capital, grants, nontraditional lending and all things finance.

Join the Washington Business Journal as they sit down with experts in traditional and nontraditional lending, venture capital and grants to discuss how small businesses across Greater Washington can recover, grow and innovate in the wake of Covid-19.

Hear from our panel of experts and our one-on-one with Revolutions David Hall, who will discuss the latest efforts of the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund.

Tuesday, February 23, 2021; 11:00am –12:00pm

Click here for more info and to register.

moveDC 2021 Update Public Meeting

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is updating its long-range, multimodal transportation plan, moveDC, to determine the agency’s priorities over the next two decades. DDOT will host two virtual public meetings to review how the goals and policies identified in the first round of the survey released in October 2020 will be potentially implemented.

Tues, Feb. 9, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. or Thurs, Feb. 11, 2021 at 1:30 p.m.

The same information will be presented at both meetings.

Click here to join the meeting.

16th Street NW Bus Lanes Public Meeting

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) invites you to a public meeting on Monday, February 8, 2021 for a presentation about the 16th Street NW Bus Lanes project. DDOT will present an overview of the project, the construction schedule, and what to expect during construction.

Monday, February 8, 2021; 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Click here to join the meeting on Feb. 8.

Dial-in option (audio only): 1-202-860-2110, Access code: 180 946 7184#

The WebEx system will prompt you for an Attendee ID, this is not required. Press the # key to join the meeting. For more information about this public meeting, please email james.sellars@dc.gov .

GWHCC Business Bootcamp

Feb 1: Licensing & Permit Requirements with Claudia Herrera from DCRA and Robert Summers from the Pantera Management Group

Feb 3: Quickbooks 101 with Manny Cosme & Jill Shallett from CFO Services

Feb 8: Pricing and Evaluating Vendors with Manny Cosme and Brandon Clark from CFO Services

Feb 10: Job Costing and Tracking with Manny Cosme from CFO Services and Luis Carrasco from CNC Accounting Services, LLC

Feb 17: Intro to Business and Personal Credit with Roderick Johnson from the SBA, Sean Chrysostom from Capital One, and Vicki Davis from Life Assets

Feb 22: Website Management with Ricardo Villalba from Washington Digital Media and Social Media for Business with Carlos Martin del Campo from SunnyNite

Feb 24: Capstone/Pitch Your Biz

All workshops start at 5:00 pm EST

Click here to register

Submit your events and specials!

List your Adams Morgan events and business specials on our webpage for free! Click here to go to the event submission form, fill it out completely, and click on "submit event." Event submissions are reviewed to ensure the events either take place within the Adams Morgan business district or are being put on by an Adams Morgan business, and once approved should appear on the website within 48 hours.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Sponsor one of our community events! Partner with our community while reaching some of the city's most desirable demographics. For details, contact Kristen Barden at 202-997-0783.