The Washington, D.C., City Council late Tuesday night approved a moratorium on single container alcohol sales along the H Street Northeast corridor between Seventh and 14th streets.

“A moratorium will go a long way to address some of the chaos and crime afflicting H Street, NE,” Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells (D) said in a statement. “On top of that, the neighborhood is tired of people using the streets, alleys and treeboxes as public urinals and trashcans.”

The bill passed with the support of Mayor Adrian Fenty (D), who enacted a similar moratorium for the Mount Pleasant neighborhood when he was the Ward 4 councilmember. The Metropolitan Police Department and Advisory Neighborhood commissioners representing the H Street corridor also supported the measure.

“We’ve seen the effect a singles ban can have in other neighborhoods,” Wells said. “I’m proud to support the ANC and residents to put the moratorium in effect and begin calming the chaos on H Street, NE.”

Once the rule goes into effect, which Wells Chief of Staff Charles Allen said likely will be at the end of this month, the Alcohol Beverage Control Board will allow a 30-day grace period before beginning enforcement.

Advisory Neighborhood Commissions are in the early stages of a movement to extend the moratorium to Third Street Northeast.

— Daniel Heim