Meyers orders the club to return to its original form in the past and has requested a further building inspection. Deja Vu was initially permitted to operate downtown under old zoning maps, which today wouldn't permit adult businesses in the area.Īs a result of its grandfathered zoning status, the use of the building for erotic entertainment does not require legal expansion, according to the city official. Meyers declares he observed illegal modifications in the building on Dec. Meyers organizes a walkthrough of the club's headquarters on November 11, 2019. But it never submitted a complete building permit application, and no permit was granted. 26, 2021.Alyte Katilius | ĭeja Vu repairs a leaking pipe in the club's basement at 31 North Washington Street in downtown Ypsilanti, which required removing an existing shower and breaking it in the process, according to court filings.Īccording to the order, a city inspector notices the basement renovation and requests the club obtain electrical, plumbing, and building permits.Īccording to Deja Vu, the club had obtained an electrical and plumbing permit by early April. The Ann Arbor News/MLive has compiled a timeline of important events based on dozens of pages of legal documents, emails, and city records filed in federal and state courts.ĭeja Vu Strip Club in Ypsilanti was photographed on Tuesday, Oct. Was sat there in the lead-up to these issues getting into the court? and if theyd done that wed be having a different conversation. They didn't get the approval, they didnt go through the proper procedure. There's no way to come into compliance with this, according to the director of the department. The business owners did not respond to city staff complaints regarding the violations, and there's no moral issue in the Ypsilanti's enforcement of its local laws, according to Wilcoxen. Steve Wilcoxen, a council member who represents Ward 2, said of the strip club: "I don't think they're being singled out in any way. Three other council members Nicole Brown, Brian Jones-Chance, and Jennifer Symmans remained silent on January 4th. "This is not a good decision," she said, putting a firm in turmoil and extending its time as a business loses control.Īnthony Morgan, a ward-mate, declined to comment, as did Mayor Lois Richardson. The lawsuits themselves are ongoing and have slashed city leaders.Īs long as their discussions over the legal dispute have lasted for a while, the city council has kept the lion's share of their conversations focused on closed sessions.Īnnie Somerville, a council member, has been elected to the Ward 3 where the club is located. That includes an outside lawyer Ypsilanti, who is known as a specialist in adult business regulation but has also received criticism from other parts of the country for his ties to anti-LBGTQ organizations. City officials are disobey, saying they have documented illegal and unpermitted construction.Īlong the way, the legal cases have involved as many attorneys as there are city council seats. If the strip club wishes to stay in its original condition on North Washington Street, it restricts how it can remodel.ĭeja Vu, a lawyer for the Lansing-based club, claims nothing has taken place, dating back to when the club first opened in Ypsilanti in 1982. Its a problem for Deja Vu, which hosts dancers, an adult novelty store, and private film viewing booths. Officials at Deja Vu say the club threw the legally required construction approval procedures to the wind while making changes to the buildings interior from January to January. The issues at the heart of the legal battle and the subsequent lawsuit Ypsilanti dismissed with two months later in state court are much more mundane: they focus on city zoning, building permits, and code enforcement. The company claims city officials have intentionally pushed down a decision on renovating the club out of disdain for the nude entertainment at the center of its business model and protected speech. Limited, Inc., the company that owns the building. In April, Ypsilanti Art Theatre Corp., the company that owns the club, and M.I.C. The Ypsilanti gentleman's club has been shuffled as of late, but it was ordered to close last year, and ripped through a portion of the shuttered building several months later. The club is affiliated with Deja Vu, a multinational adult entertainment business founded by Richard Hughes. YPSILANTI, MI - The Deja Vu Showgirls strip club has operated out of a two-story brick building near the heart of downtown Ypsilanti for more than three decades.īut the result of two parallel legal disputes between its owners and the city will decide its fate.
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