Georgetown Bowling Alley Receives Zoning Approval

The Georgetown Park Mall is one big step closer to having a Pinstripes Bowling Alley after the Board of Zoning Adjustment unanimously approved a special exception application Tuesday.

Pinstripes, a bowling alley cum bocce courts, restaurant and private event facility, will make Georgetown its first location in the DC area. The space on two levels in the Georgeotwnpark Mall will include 28,000 square feet on the bowling level.

Earlier in January the Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) opposed the application, citing a lack of agreement about noise and other concerns between the Georgetown Park Condominium Owners Association and the bowling alley owners. 

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But Tuesday the applicants and a representative for the condos told they BZA they had all-but-signed an agreement with strict conditions regarding noise and privacy among other issues. The ANC dropped its opposition because an agreement was reached.

"We had an extremely productive meeting last night," Allison Prince, an attorney with Goulston & Storrs, explained.

Martin Sullivan, the attorney for the Georgetown Park Condominium owners association, said he was withdrawing opposition in exchange for a list of committments from the bowling alley. 

The key component of the agreement focused on noise from the bowling alley and its impact on the condo residents.

Chris Pollock, a sound expert for the applicants, testified that the "goal is this is essentially inaudible."

Pinstripes has not yet worked out which of several possible approaches the company might take to mitigate the noise.

But Founder and CEO Dale Schwartz told the BZA that they would "marry sound analysis with design ... before we start spending millions of dollars on the build out."

“The burden is on the applicant,” Prince explained.

The owners agreed to comply with a section of the building code that "any mechanically-produce or amplified noise in a facility that has a liquor license cannot create noise for a resident," according to Prince.

“At the end of the day we must comply with this sound regulation,” said Prince about her clients.

Additionally the conditions specify that outdoor patios cannot have amplified music and that condo residents should only hear the "human voice" coming from the patio.

Though the BZA does not have any jurisdiction over construction noise or other related issues, the agreed up conditions included in the BZA order specify that a sound engineer selected by the condo association will have access to the site to ensure sound measures are in compliance during construction. 

"These conditions show the extent to which we all dove in and worked together to get at the heart of what were the concerns of the condominium association," Prince said.

BZA Chair Lloyd Jordan said he was "comfortable" with the agreement since the condo association and the ANC were no longer in opposition.

Commissioner Peter May said the testimony assured him that the likelihood of noise transmitting from the bolwing alley into residential units was “remote.”

The three voting board members present approved the order.

The application goes before several other District agencies for review for a liquor license and design elements such as signage.