The owners of a controversial Long Island City strip club could be one step closer to getting a long-coveted liquor license.
But civic leaders pledged this week to continue their fight against Show Palace, the glitzy, all-nude eatery that cropped up in the shadow of the Queensboro Bridge.
Last month, a Supreme Court judge rejected the State Liquor Authority’s decision to deny a license to 21 Group Inc., the owners of Show Palace.
Local lawmakers and others argued a strip club conflicted with the neighborhood’s new, family friendly rebirth.
However, Judge Manuel Mendez said the reasons outlined by the State Liquor Authority in its 2012 decision were not enough to justify its rejection.
“The denial of an application for a liquor license cannot be based solely on community reaction and the views or recommendations of elected officials,” Mendez said in a decision handed down last month.
Mendez also said the SLA had not proven its concerns that other so-called unvetted straw owners could have pumped money into the club.
Patrick O’Brien, chairman of Community Board 2’s City Services and Public Safety Committee, said he was told the SLA will appeal the judge’s decision.
“While we are certainly disappointed in the result, we respect it came from a court,” said O’Brien. “The SLA is continuing to fight and so are we. This is just inappropriate.”
The club’s owners took the SLA to court last year, claiming its decision was “arbitrary and capricious.”
But 21 Group’s lawyer, Albert J. Pirro Jr., said the judge’s decision was cold comfort to his clients.
Pirro said his clients are shouldering steep costs for security even though they are operating a restaurant.
“They are not happy at all,” said Pirro. “They could be making substantially more money if the premises was run as a fully licensed liquor establishment.”
Community Board 2 Chairman Joe Conley said the club is “totally out of character” with its surroundings.
“We will continue to make sure the SLA understands how important it is to preserve the quality of this neighborhood,” he said.
