Pro Rentals Inc. owner Demetrios Prokos said yesterday he would abandon the plan to build a strip club on Stimson Avenue if city officials seem favorable to other plans for the building he owns there.
Prokos submitted new designs to city code enforcement Tuesday for the former New-to-You thrift shop property at 9, 11 and 13 W. Stimson Ave. Those designs include apartments above four stores and a restaurant with a drive-thru window as well as additional apartments on the ground floor.
Code Enforcement Director Steve Pierson presented the new plans to the Athens Planning Commission yesterday.
The project, deemed a Planned Unit Development, will require several code exceptions for the height of the building and the number of available parking spots, Pierson said. A PUD goes through a more extensive review. City codes also do not permit first-floor apartments and serving alcohol on the property, he added.
Athens City Council ultimately decides on whether to grant exceptions to city codes.
In a prior interview, Prokos said providing three cars that residents can share and pay for by the hour will reduce the need for more parking,
Prokos and the planning commission will meet March 20 to talk about necessary code exceptions for the plans. After the meeting, Prokos can submit an application and additional information to city council. Two public hearings will follow.
If exceptions are approved after the hearings, Prokos will have one year to start the project, Pierson said.
A used luxury auto dealership was already approved for part of the location but is not part of the new drawings.
The Athens Board of Zoning Appeals will meet March 11 to decide if the strip club, which tentatively has been named The Hocking Valley Ladies' and Gentlemen's Club, is a permissible use of the Stimson Avenue property, Prokos said.
We're ready to take it to the courts (if the strip club is denied)
Prokos said.
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Brigitta Burks
