Lunch links: Food fights

The powerful vs. the food trucks

Established restaurants, business associations, and even existing food truck depots have been lobbying the DC Council hard to limit the innovative new mobile eateries. (City Paper)  (Tip: David Alpert)

Eat more, drink less

Several “restaurants” risk losing their restaurant-class liquor licenses for not selling enough food. Owners argue that tavern-class licenses gin up too much neighborhood opposition. (City Paper)  (Tip: Eric Fidler)

Shaw/Bloomingdale will get a sit down restaurant

Beau Thai, a new restaurant in Shaw, just won its case to become a sit-down restaurant.  Converting a former fast-food carry-out to a sit down restaurant requires a costly, time-consuming zoning change, even though Beau Thai had overwhelming neighborhood support. (TBD)  (Tip: Eric Fidler)

Why no bike sharing on the Mall?

It turns out that the Park Service gave away the store to its concessionaires, who have the right of first refusal for any new public amenity on NPS parkland. In contrast, GSA has welcomed CaBi. (Housing Complex)  (Tip: David Alpert)

Security might not always trump public access

Sen. Lieberman is pushing a bill to reform the Federal Protective Service, which is responsible for protecting federal buildings.  The bill will allow agencies to object to FPS security plans if they risk hindering public access. (Post)  (Tip: Eric Fidler)

Museum bubble takes shape

The proposed inflatable bubble to cover the donut hole courtyard of the Hirshhorn is set to flutter open in two years. The courtyard will become a temporary programming space for public events.  Now if they could just remove that concrete perimeter wall…  (The Dirt)  (Tip: Eric Fidler)

Preservation meets race in Alexandria

A lawsuit in Alexandria over the preserving the American Legion building casts preservation as having disproportionate racial impacts.  Meanwhile, neither side knows what to do with the building. (DCmud)  (Tip: Eric Fidler)

New New Carrollton

WMATA and the State of Maryland are looking to transform the parking lots around New Carrollton into a denser, walkable neighborhood. (Post)  (Tip: Eric Fidler)

More car-free, less traffic

TBS’s

TBD’s unscientific survey found that Car-Free Day reduced traffic somewhat in DC and heavily on 395.  Admittedly, more research is needed before we draw solid conclusions, but it’s at least a start.  (Tip: Eric Fidler)