The owners of the all-nude Show Palace club in Long Island City have given up trying to convince the State Liquor Authority that they deserve a license and are heading to court.
The 21 Group, which had hoped to open the site as a strip club named Gypsy Rose, was turned down twice in its efforts to obtain a liquor license.
Instead, it opened up several months ago as an all-nude club that offers food and lap dances.
Local elected officials, civic leaders and community members have rallied against granting the club a liquor license, saying it runs counter to revitalization efforts in Long Island City.
But the club’s new attorney Albert J. Pirro Jr. said current zoning allows adult entertainment and that the club has been operating without any problems for months.
“The whole SLA hearing was essentially the residents saying this area should not be zoned for it,” said Pirro. “I certainly respect the community’s point but that should be taken up with the New York City Council. The hearing really didn’t focus on the proper issues.”
In a letter to the State Liquor Authority, Pirro said the company was abandoning its plan to ask the board to reconsider its application at its scheduled meeting later this month.
“We believe it will be a futile exercise,” he wrote, adding they believe the SLA’s decision was “arbitrary, capricious and without merit.”
Community opposition cannot be the deciding factor in the case, Pirro said.
But local residents remain opposed to the club.
“I wish they would just take no for an answer already,” said state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), who has repeatedly written to the State Liquor Authority and asked them to reject the firm’s applications.
“Many of us have spent decades improving that part of Long Island City. We don’t want to relocate the old Times Square to Queensboro Plaza,” Gianaris added.
The club sits in the shadow of the Queensboro Bridge on 21st St., an area once dominated by factories and warehouses.
Luxury residential towers on the nearby waterfront have lured young families and provided an upscale vibe.
In addition, JetBlue and the city Health Department relocated to the area.
“The amount of money the city has put into the neighborhood is showing,” said Joseph Conley, chairman of Community Board 2. “This is all about how the community is portrayed and perception is everything.”
Just because the club is allowed under current zoning doesn’t make it a good fit, he said.
“We have several of these establishments in the community board with liquor licenses and when they come up for renewal we have approved them,” said Conley. “But this location is a main thoroughfare.”
