New strip club an unwelcome neighbor in northwest Houston
samsung1
Ohio
The Sunset Strip Club opened up in the old Steak & Ale location this week.
“I'm a Christian and we don't believe in that,†said neighbor Vicki Higerd. “We don't like it and it's too close to us.â€
Higerd is not alone. David Edwards is worried about his son growing up around the sexually-oriented business.
“This is where my child's growing up,†said Edwards. “Now, my child's going to grow up and see whatever riff-raff is going be coming out of that place.â€
But it's more than upset homeowners.
For years, the Houston Independent School District fought the strip club from setting up shop because it's just down the road from Delmar Stadium, a facility that's used year-round by students for sporting events.
HISD released a statement after the club opened this week.
“We are disappointed with the decision to allow a sexually-oriented business to operate so close to a school athletics complex,†the statement read.
Higerd agreed.
“All of the schools around here go to that stadium to do their football and all of that and soccer and it's just too close to that,†she said.
Sunset Strip manager Lloyd Ace invited KHOU 11 News into the club that also doubles as a sports bar.
“How do you feel about being the unwanted neighbor?†asked KHOU 11 News Reporter Tiffany Craig.
“We'll I'm sad that we're unwanted,†said Ace. “I can understand people's feelings but our closest neighbors are across the freeway. This is really a commercial area.â€
Ace said they got all the necessary permits. The business is more than 1, 500 feet from a school, daycare, park or church.
To try and keep a little peace with the neighbors, Sunset Strip has agreed not to use a spotlight to direct customers to their location.
http://www.khou.com/news/local/Strip-clu…
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Neighbors will complain about any new adult business where ever one opens or is even proposed. It's just a fact of zoning life. One exception is in the Los Angeles area, TUSCL have probably heard about great mileage available at club in the city of Industry. It is largely a poor, immigrant community. Most of those that speak English, do so as a second language. Generally they don't have the will (many are undocumented), the money, or the ability to communicate effectively. So, when a new strip club opens there, generally, there is little public opposition. (One exception may be a recent attempt by the Spearmint Rhino chain to open a new club where the Hawaii Theatre was previously located. There a much better educated community in adjacent Hacienda Heights will have the skills and ability necessary to protest a new adult business.)
Most of the current clubs are grandfathered from the old zoning ordinance, which is why the old HT is having trouble re-opening as SR/Pinks. The old permit had expired and the vacancy was long enough for the grandfathering to no longer apply.
Currently the COI allows Adult Businesses in commercial zones (which the COI is almost entirely) provided that they are no closer than 200 feet from any residence or 500 feet from any church, school, child care center, park, or other adult business whether or not they are located in the COI. Unfortunately since the COI is such a long skinny thing not many locations with good access and visibility fit in the definition.
follow me on this,
A couple of years ago, the Mansion in north Harris County operated without a SOB permit. The last week was quite wild before it was closed by the county.
Recently, there was a story here about a Spearmint Rhino club that was closed-after operating with an alcohol and SOB permit.
Sunset Strip is advertising that it's latex free-meaning that it's flying in the face of city regulations, meaning......
The club owners know that it will be closed, so, I'm betting that a wild time is to be had in the LD area-panties come off, even though it's a topless club. In short, you got a few hundred bucks, everything is on the menu.
1) First, who's "we" - Christians in general? It's not clear, but that's the implication. I guess she speaks for all Christians?
2) Regardless, what has her belief in the existence of an invisible old man in the sky got to do with whether a strip club should open? Maybe I'm a Pastafarian nudist and believe clothes are an abomination to be shed at every opportunity. Regardless, any position of unsubstantiated beliefs should have nothing to do with a secular society's zoning laws.
3) And who's this Edwards bozo who doesn't want to see "whatever riff-raff is going be coming out of that place.†What a sanctimonious asshole. I hate to see the kind of riff-raff that comes out of churches, personally, but that's never stopped zealots from building monstrous mega-temples on tax-free land.
Okay, I'm only getting worked up over this. Time to let go and relieve some stress with my favorite stripper...