The Chelsea License Commission will be the focus of a lot of attention on Tuesday night, June 16, when the will have a public hearing for the proposed upscale strip club proposed by Phantom Ventures for the old King Arthur’s site on Beecham Street.
The application was revealed at last month’s meeting in a letter from the attorney for Phantom Ventures, who described the club as a luxury gentlemen’s club with a dress code and completely nude dancing. Renovations to the building were also described and an application for a liquor license is also being sought.
The License Commission will hold a public hearing on the Club’s application at 6 p.m. during its regular meeting. However, that doesn’t mean that the Commission will take action on the matter Tuesday.
What it does mean is that the general public will have an opportunity to speak for or against the matter so that Commissioners know how the community feels.
Already, District 8 Councillor Dan Cortell has penned an op-ed that calls for the application to be rejected.
“Prior to last year, King Arthur’s was a remnant of Chelsea’s past we were stuck with until the opportunity to see it closed presented itself,” he wrote. “Now a city without a strip club, I see no benefit to the opening of a new one at the same location or anywhere else in our city that has long been working toward better things. Based on Chelsea’s small size, all property, I believe, is worth more now that it is no longer within a mile or so of a strip joint, especially Admiral’s Hill and The Waterfront neighborhood, both even closer. I urge all who agree with me to make his or her opinion known to Licensing Commissioners in person during the public speaking section of the meeting.”
King Arthur’s met its demise last summer when the owners fell on a technicality and had their licenses stripped by the Commission.
The use could perhaps be grandfathered at the location for at least another year, but that has yet to be officially determined.
That, however, won’t be the only action at the meeting on Tuesday.
The Commission will see a redux of the Plaza Mexico infractions, this time discussing police reports from an incident that happened earlier this year. Already, the hours were rolled back and the license suspended for a long and protracted hearing that took place over two meetings last month for police issues going back to 2013.
Additionally, El Carriel at 9-11 Williams St. will be in front of the Commission to discuss complaints levied against the bar/lounge.