Adult business proposal finds little sympathy, even less enthusiasm
A proposed adult entertainment business in Edwardsville has spurred near-uniform reactions from residents and officials in Edwardsville, Bonner Springs and Kansas City, Kan.
The establishment, called Velocity, at 11401 Kaw Dr., was presented to the Edwardsville City Council on Oct. 9 by Richard Bryant, spokesman and attorney for WTS Restaurant Group, the company that would own Velocity, and which owns Bazooka's Showgirls in Kansas City, Mo.
Bryant drew repeated parallels between Velocity and Bazooka's. That business features nude dancing, a bar and a restaurant.
Rory Kuhn, a Bonner Springs City Council member and resident of Lake of the Forest, which is situated almost directly across Kansas Highway 32 from the proposed adult business, gave a negative but relatively nuanced reaction to the proposed business.
"Obviously, I'd prefer that it not be there," Kuhn said. "How strong can one say it?"
But, Kuhn said, "If you ask whether I want a casino, I'd say probably not. It's a tough one -- taxes are gonna be paid. At least we'd be able fight the complications" associated with such an establishment if it were located in Bonner Springs, he said.
"Bonner Springs is going to be faced with the problems from it if there's problems," Kuhn said, so he'd just as soon the business move a few hundred feet to the west so that Bonner Springs could reap the business' sales and property taxes.
All the same, Kuhn said that residents might be best served by tempering their opinions of the business until they know exactly what kind of "adult business" it will be.
With Coyote Ugly rated as an "R," and Bazooka's as "XXX," Kuhn mused that WTS's strategy might be similar to the teenage girl in a joke who tells her dad she's pregnant and going to South America. When her father becomes upset, she tells him it's not true, but that she's getting a ‘D' in Spanish, which the dad is all too happy to hear.
Edwardsville Mayor Stephanie Eickhoff didn't hesitate when asked her opinion of what an adult business will mean for her town.
"I'm against it. I understand that they are protected under the Constitution, but I haven't heard anyone that's for it.
"If we can't stop it on this level, I'm hoping the county will come and stop it there."
Hal Walker, the chief legal counsel for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, helped draft the county's ordinance governing adult businesses.
Walker said that if the business were approved in Edwardsville, Velocity's application for a business permit would then have to be reviewed by the Unified Government Commission and be subject to its approval before proceeding.
Walker said WTS has threatened to sue if the county denies a permit for Velocity.
The suit would claim infringement of WTS's First Amendment rights, and Walker said of the ordinance's chances for passing constitutional muster in court, "We did what we could. We believe that it is constitutional."
"We're very much aware that it is a difficult hurdle to meet," he said.
Kuhn said of the proposal for Velocity, "I think this is spoiling for a legal battle."
He added, "I do know there's a contingent of folks willing to put their money where their mouth is" to fight such a business opening in Edwardsville.
"We're in this for the long haul. We do not believe that this particular business at that particular location is good for the community as a whole."
Walker said there was a practical reason for the Unified Government's opposition to businesses like Velocity operating in the county.
"There always seems to be an aroma of trouble around these kinds of businesses," Walker said.
"What happens in Edwardsville and Bonner Springs affects KCK, just as what we do affects Bonner Springs and Edwardsville, " Walker said. "We can't pretend like we're not connected."
Bonner Springs Mayor Clausie Smith said he was "diametrically opposed" to such a business opening in Edwardsville.
"We have gone too far in Wyandotte County," Smith said. "We don't need this kind of entertainment."
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The establishment, called Velocity, at 11401 Kaw Dr., was presented to the Edwardsville City Council on Oct. 9 by Richard Bryant, spokesman and attorney for WTS Restaurant Group, the company that would own Velocity, and which owns Bazooka's Showgirls in Kansas City, Mo.
Bryant drew repeated parallels between Velocity and Bazooka's. That business features nude dancing, a bar and a restaurant.
Rory Kuhn, a Bonner Springs City Council member and resident of Lake of the Forest, which is situated almost directly across Kansas Highway 32 from the proposed adult business, gave a negative but relatively nuanced reaction to the proposed business.
"Obviously, I'd prefer that it not be there," Kuhn said. "How strong can one say it?"
But, Kuhn said, "If you ask whether I want a casino, I'd say probably not. It's a tough one -- taxes are gonna be paid. At least we'd be able fight the complications" associated with such an establishment if it were located in Bonner Springs, he said.
"Bonner Springs is going to be faced with the problems from it if there's problems," Kuhn said, so he'd just as soon the business move a few hundred feet to the west so that Bonner Springs could reap the business' sales and property taxes.
All the same, Kuhn said that residents might be best served by tempering their opinions of the business until they know exactly what kind of "adult business" it will be.
With Coyote Ugly rated as an "R," and Bazooka's as "XXX," Kuhn mused that WTS's strategy might be similar to the teenage girl in a joke who tells her dad she's pregnant and going to South America. When her father becomes upset, she tells him it's not true, but that she's getting a ‘D' in Spanish, which the dad is all too happy to hear.
Edwardsville Mayor Stephanie Eickhoff didn't hesitate when asked her opinion of what an adult business will mean for her town.
"I'm against it. I understand that they are protected under the Constitution, but I haven't heard anyone that's for it.
"If we can't stop it on this level, I'm hoping the county will come and stop it there."
Hal Walker, the chief legal counsel for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, helped draft the county's ordinance governing adult businesses.
Walker said that if the business were approved in Edwardsville, Velocity's application for a business permit would then have to be reviewed by the Unified Government Commission and be subject to its approval before proceeding.
Walker said WTS has threatened to sue if the county denies a permit for Velocity.
The suit would claim infringement of WTS's First Amendment rights, and Walker said of the ordinance's chances for passing constitutional muster in court, "We did what we could. We believe that it is constitutional."
"We're very much aware that it is a difficult hurdle to meet," he said.
Kuhn said of the proposal for Velocity, "I think this is spoiling for a legal battle."
He added, "I do know there's a contingent of folks willing to put their money where their mouth is" to fight such a business opening in Edwardsville.
"We're in this for the long haul. We do not believe that this particular business at that particular location is good for the community as a whole."
Walker said there was a practical reason for the Unified Government's opposition to businesses like Velocity operating in the county.
"There always seems to be an aroma of trouble around these kinds of businesses," Walker said.
"What happens in Edwardsville and Bonner Springs affects KCK, just as what we do affects Bonner Springs and Edwardsville, " Walker said. "We can't pretend like we're not connected."
Bonner Springs Mayor Clausie Smith said he was "diametrically opposed" to such a business opening in Edwardsville.
"We have gone too far in Wyandotte County," Smith said. "We don't need this kind of entertainment."
http://www.protect-x.com
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