Strip Club Appeal Coming?

I watched the presentation being made by Todd Colarusso to the zoning board, and as I said before, I thought the strip club was going to be a certainty. Then came the surprise U-turn swapping advertising for stripping. I was immediately uneasy. This was the same bait and switch I was taught to avoid in used car salesmen and politicians. However, this idea still has merit, minus the second floor strip club plans.

Now that both variance applications have been rejected by the zoning board, it's apparently off to court. "Todd Colarusso, president of Stockham Interests, LLC of Princeton, N.J., said after the meeting that he would appeal the decision in Bucks County Common Pleas Court. Colarusso threatened there will be a strip club as he stood outside on the steps of borough hall."

Todd, this isn't going to help matters. It's pretty clear that the residents do not want to have a strip club here. It's also pretty clear that Morrisville needs to have the Stockham Building filled and rented. Take a look at the acrimony and animosity surrounding the new school building and Gateway issues and imagine it doubled or tripled.

I can't see this ending well. A strip club forced onto the residents would most likely be met with stiff community resistance.

Zoning Board: No strip club in Morrisville
By Petra Chesner Schlatter; Staff Editor

Morrisville Borough residents said they were happy when they heard the Morrisville Zoning Hearing Board's (MZHB) decision not to allow a burlesque-style theater with topless women in their town.

The request to allow the strip club in Morrisville Borough's old commercial zone was unanimously rejected May 6 by the board.

Todd Colarusso, president of Stockham Interests, LLC of Princeton, N.J., said after the meeting that he would appeal the decision in Bucks County Common Pleas Court.

Colarusso threatened there will be a strip club as he stood outside on the steps of borough hall.

According to board solicitor Dennis Denard, the MZHB must issue a written decision within 45 days of the hearing. Once issued, Stockham Interests, LLC has the right to appeal within 30 days.

In a 365-degree turn, Colarusso had said during the hearing that he would drop his original application for a zoning variance could be used by area businesses.

Pastor Gary Taylor of the 1st Baptist Church said he was concerned for the moral content of the sign and whether it could be controlled in the future.

Taylor said there would be adverse effects on the community because "Morrisville would be known for that particular establishment."

The applicant said he would not allow advertisements for alcohol, tobacco, condoms or abortion.

Hal Wilcox, a local sports coach, said he volunteers with the Solid Rock Youth Center, which is located on the second floor of the 1st Baptist Church. "I coach youth in this town. I teach them right from wrong. Morrisville does not need adult entertainment." He stressed the church is located "right down the street" from the Stockham building.

Three church pastors appealed to the board to reject the proposal to allow the burlesque theatre.

Father John Eckert, pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church on Pennsylvania Avenue, quoted the book of Matthew from the Bible. He said when a man "looks at a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery."

Rev. Frank Sanders, pastor of the Morrisville United Methodist Church, said, "We stand in solidarity with him (Father Eckert)." Sanders questioned whether broken windows at the Stockham building would be replaced.

Colarusso said if a future tenant does not repair them in a few months, he would see that they would be replaced.

Along with other residents, Clarissa Taylor, Rev. Taylor's daughter, said if the adult entertainment use were approved, youths passing by the building to walk to and from school would be adversely influenced.

"They're going to dwell on it every single day."

After the 3 ½ hour presentation, discussion and public comment, the board voted 3-0 to reject the application for adult entertainment and an alternate option of a billboard or nylon hanging 'wallscape' for the west side of the historic Stockham building, located in Morrisville's ailing commercial district at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Bridge Street.

Adult entertainment in the C-1 district is not allowed, however it is allowed in the two industrial zones.

Presenting stacks of paperwork to the board, Bruce McLaughlin, a witness for the applicant, argued that adult entertainment does not have an adverse effect on the community. He cited court decisions, which allowed adult entertainment. He said vagrants and undesirables would not congregate around a building offering adult entertainment.

Holly Mikhailik, of Casabella Design in Hamilton Township, N.J, said the proposed facility would be a French-style Moulon Rouge décor. A painting of a French café was shown for the first floor. Later, Councilwoman Jane Burger, who said she was not speaking as a public official, said that image was unacceptable to her.

In addition to the proposed restaurant on the first floor and a burlesque theater on the second floor, the applicant wants to rent the third and fourth floors to a fitness center. The center would provide babysitting services. That service was questioned since children would have to pass the proposed adult entertainment area on the second floor.

The applicant said the babysitting service would be located more than 500 feet from the burlesque area.

After the meeting, Morrisville Borough Council President Nancy Sherlock said the zoning board deemed the burlesque club "inappropriate and not acceptable." Sherlock said she agreed with the board's decision.

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