New streateries are coming to Adams Morgan, as a D.C. pilot program reimagines how the outdoor dining scene looks in the busy neighborhood.
D.C.’s Department of Transportation is installing new streateries at 33 businesses, in partnership with the Adams Morgan Business Improvement District. They’re coming to the stretch of 18th Street Northwest between Kalorama and Columbia roads.
According to Adams Morgan BID executive director Kristen Barden, other businesses said they aren’t using the outdoor space as much as they did during the pandemic and declined to have new ones installed.
The program comes ahead of DDOT’s release of new guidelines for the streatery program. Barden said few streateries would be in compliance with the updated guidelines and would have had to come down as a result.
The new streateries will have a platform that’s level with the curb and a metal plate that connects the platform to the curb, Barden said. A channel under the metal plate will allow for water maintenance and the top of the platform will have a metal railing painted in a color that the business picks.
There will also be a shade structure that’s retractable, Barden said. All of the streateries will be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant and easier to maintain.
“It’s actually a pretty simple design,” Barden said. “The business can use whatever tables and chairs they want to put out there.”
The streatery spaces have been free since June 2020, but Barden said there will be a public space fee when the new regulations begin. Public comment and a council vote are expected first, she said.
This week, crews are collecting construction materials from existing streateries. Starting Monday, the new ones will be built, a process Barden expects will take about two weeks.
“It’s a refresh to the whole system,” Barden said. “These are going to look more uniform. They’ll be brand new.”
More information about the city’s pilot program is available online.
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