Strip club back before Westport zoning board

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Written by: 195 on Jul 27, 2010

WESTPORT - A proposal for the construction of a strip club on a Route 6 property near Route 88 will be heard Wednesday by the Zoning Board of Appeals, which previously denied the request.

The Fairhaven-based Deutche Donn Corporation's attempt to get the go-ahead for the club has been a subject of controversy since its inception, resulting in a lawsuit against the town by the corporation.

In the end, however, the town and corporation agreed for the matter to be heard by the zoning board again.

Deutche Donn had appealed to the state Department of Environmental Protection over a wetlands-related dispute with the Westport Conservation Commission. In September 2009, town officials said they would not appeal the decision of DEP, which had ruled in favor of Deutche Donn, citing insufficient evidence to support allegations the company had filled the wetlands area with bricks after doing so became illegal.

Since the proposal for the club, called Executive Sweets, was first broached, some regulatory changes have taken place that could affect the outcome of the matter.

A 2008 Town Meeting vote created a new adult entertainment overlay district in an area that included the parcel where Deutche Donn is seeking to build its club. The builder had claimed that a previous town bylaw regulating adult entertainment businesses in Westport had been too restrictive to make the project viable.

Also, the town now requires a site plan be submitted for such projects. Before a project like Executive Sweets can move forward, its site plan must be approved by the Planning Board.

Brian J. Corey Jr., the attorney representing Deutche Donn, said the club would be built on the rear portion of the property, which is owned by Robert Machado. Corey said the building would be a shingle-style building approximately 4,000 square feet in size, with natural-colored shingles and white corner boards.

The Zoning Board hearing on Deutche Donn's special permit request will take place Wednesday night at 7 in Town Hall.

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