Application to add strip club to Dundas Place triggers early opposition
CBC
An application that would bring a second strip club to Dundas Place in Downtown London is stirring up some early opposition.
Businesses along Dundas Place received notification from the city this week about an application by an entity called "Paris Clubs Corporation" to amend an existing licence for an adult live entertainment parlour. The application would change the address on the licence from 2010 Dundas St. E. to 238 Dundas.
A strip club once operated out of 2010 Dundas St., the lower floor of an existing Travelodge Hotel, but has been closed for at least three years.
The restaurant Lavish currently operates out of 238 Dundas St. near Clarence Street. The owner of Lavish, who does not own the building, was unable to speak with CBC News when contacted for comment on Friday.
Barbara Maly heads the Downtown London Business Improvement Area. She plans to write a letter opposing the application for multiple reasons. Among her biggest concerns: it would be located close to Solid Gold, an existing strip club with frontage on both Dundas and Clarence Street.
"We certainly believe that this is not at all aligned with the city's vision of Dundas Place as a prominent street and a marquee destination for our city," she said.
Maly said her organization's action plan puts a priority on filling vacancies and bringing vibrancy back to downtown as businesses work to recover from shutdowns and a sharp drop in business due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, she said any new business has to be a positive addition. She doesn't believe a second downtown strip club fits the bill.
"We're going to be deliberate in identifying a prescribed mix of retail, and this would be adjacent to a similar business," she said. "This is not the kind of cluster we want for Dundas Place. The businesses we've spoken with are adamantly against this proposed use."
Ward 13 Coun. John Fyfe-Millar agrees.
"There are many reasons not to support this application," he said. "We know these establishments feed on young women in our community in a way that we can't support."
Marvin Post owns Attic Books, a longtime Dundas Street retailer located next door to the proposed strip club.
He also doesn't want to see the application approved.
"I don't think this is the right direction," said Post. "It's a little down market."
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