Posts Tagged ‘strip club

09
Nov
11

Stadium Club is a Gym?

By rhodeislandinsider 2 Comments
Categories: Redevelopment
Tags: , , , ,

The fact that the Stadium Club was deemed “not a sexually oriented business enterprise” by the Zoning Board is sad and makes me scratch my head. The reasoning that the commissioners gave for their decision makes me want to pound my head against a wall.

Quote of the Decade goes to Commissioner Lloyd Jordan in his defense that Stadium Club is not sexually oriented:

Pole dancing is the new fad for physical exercise.

Yes, I know…Here you go, there is plenty of wall for you to pound your head also. As a DC resident, I am embarrassed by the Zoning Board’ decision and their reasoning for it. Excuse me now…all I feel like I can do is pound a wall with my head.

Read more here from the City Paper. After reading the article, come join me. There is plenty of wall space.

About these ads
31
Aug
11

“Stripping” City Grant money for personal entertainment and profit

By rhodeislandinsider 3 Comments
Categories: Redevelopment
Tags: , , ,

Never is a boring day in Ward 5.

As this blog has reported many times on, the Stadium Club is back in the news. This time, though, it isn’t about “draining of police resources” or trash on the streets or the fact that is next to a neighborhood. This time its about how it came about (here is a primer on the ANC’s view of them when they were first proposed). The Stadium Club, according to WAMU, the money used to build the Stadium Club was actually from a city grant of nearly $330,000 supposed to go to provide job training services for those with HIV/AIDs by redeveloping two warehouses, one with the same exact address as the Stadium Club. The organization that took the grant, Miracle Hands, is headed by Debra Rowe, the city’s former HIV/AIDS Housing Administrator. Rowe was fired by the city back in 2008.

Many residents in the area have argued against the Stadium Club’s relocation to Queen’s Chapel Road NE since there are already several clubs in the Ward, in fact, DC Star is located next door.

24
Jun
10

Stadium Club Protest

By rhodeislandinsider 9 Comments
Categories: Redevelopment
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

It seems that the Stadium Club’s fate will be hashed out at the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) Board hearing on June 28th. Two protest petitions have been filed against the Club’s renewal of its Retailer Class CN Alcohol license. The petitions, submitted by two different groups, state that the Stadium Club will negatively disrupt the peace, order and quiet of the community and public safety. Both petitions have a member of the ANC or Commissioner as a protester. One petition has five signatures and the other has 21 signatures to them.

The Stadium Club owners are attempting to transfer their liquor license from their 900 First Street, SE location to the Queens Chapel Road location as part of moving their strip club to this new area. Opponents are claiming that the previous location had a continuous high rate of crime related to this business and drained First District police resources. They are concerned that this club’s issues will continue in this area, which the MPD has designated a “Hot Spot/Focused Improvement Area”, will drain Patrol Service Area 504′s resources. (**Note: there has already been several police reports to the Stadium Club location since its opening a couple of months ago.)

The biggest hurdle for the opponents will be to actually show up at the hearing on the 28th, which will require at least 5 opponents to attend from each group to have standing. They should also be prepared to show evidence to their claims of safety, real estate property impacts, and drain on police services at the hearing to give their arguments any weight. It is also encouraged that others attend the meeting to show their opposition, if they so choose to:

WHEN: Monday, June 28, 2010, 10:00am
WHERE: 1250 U Street, NW, 2nd Floor hearing room

23
Mar
10

Welcome to Ward 5, Nightclub Center of DC

By rhodeislandinsider 32 Comments
Categories: Redevelopment
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I was disappointed to read this from the Washington Post this morning.

After the baseball stadium shut down most of DC’s nightclubs, all of them started looking for other areas to open their doors, bring their traffic, loud music, and large crowds…..to Ward 5! The problem with most of these clubs that are trying to open in Ward 5, many of them are next to our neighborhoods. Residents fought (successfully) a nightclub disguised as a bar on Rhode Island Avenue, across from the Catholic Church. There is already a club called DC Star on Queens Chapel Road (next door to where this STRIP club wants to open). DC Star has not been without its own troubles. Residents, again, successfully closed a nightclub that was renting out the Masonic Lodge next to the Family Dollar store on Rhode Island Ave.

And where is our proud Councilmember, Harry Thomas, Jr? Well, on the Rhode Island Ave club I spoke about above, he was nowhere (even after residents approached him about it). On the Masonic Lodge nightclub, he was nowhere to be seen (even after Mayor Fenty, Police Chief Lanier, and DCRA Chief held a press conference about its closure). And now….

WHERE IS COUNCILMEMBER THOMAS ON WHY OUR WARD IS BEING INUNDATED WITH NIGHTCLUBS?

Oh, campaigning for re-election. Now, I have seen a lot of materials on candidates looking to unseat Thomas in the next election. Let’s see what Thomas does with this new STRIP club next to our homes, and see if we should give these other candidates a fair shake.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Although this new STRIP club is not located on RIA, it does affect it. As more and more nightclubs target our area to open, our housing prices fall. Retail and restaurants avoid those areas. Allowing nightclubs to populate our Ward is going backwards on redeveloping Rhode Island Ave (and the Ward) into a good place to work, play, and live. Shame on Harry Thomas, Jr. if he ignores these warnings.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 946 other followers